Forbidden Love
by AusllyxxRauraForever
Summary: Austin&Ally are very in love. Ally's parents love Austin and Austin's parents love Ally. But then it comes time for their parents to meet each other. And it turns out, their parents hate each other. Will Austin&Ally be able to keep their love alive after their parents have forbidden them to even look at each other?
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, guys, I realize that I was supposed to post this story ****_ages _****ago. DON'T MURDER MY FACE BECAUSE I HAVE EXCUSES. And I'm not lying, I promise. Okay, the first time it was delayed, it was because people had voted but there were a bunch of ties to be settled. Finally, once there was a winner, I finally started writing the story you're about to read. The second time it was delayed, I was sick and did ****_not _****want to write or get on the laptop or even ****_move_****. Curse of the Pistachio. Anyhoodles, the ****_third _****time it was delayed, it was because (okay, you guys aren't even gonna believe this one) I have a boyfriend and his face is extremely distracting and we've been Skyping, like, 24/7. I'll pause so that you can gasp at the fact that I even have a boyfriend.**

**…**

**…**

**…**

**Okay, I think that was enough time. Anyhoodles, thankfully, I'm posting now and that's all that matters, right? :) … Gah, I'm a terrible person who just cannot be relied on. Anyhoodles, I actually have a system I'm going to make myself abide by. I will (TRY TO) update every Wednesday. I was gonna do it every Tuesday (since today is Tuesday), but for some reason, I wanted it to be Wednesday. I know, I'm weird… AAAAAAND I talk too much. So I'm gonna shut up and let you read :)**

**P.S. I'm allergic to pistachios so hopefully, that one part about how I was sick and put that random thing about pistachios makes sense.**

**Ally's POV:**

He nibbles at my ear and I giggle. "Stop!" I exclaim, hitting his chest playfully.

"But you taste so good!" He laughs and rolls over on top of me, pinning me to my bed. "Om, nom, nom!" He bites softly all over my face.

"You're disgusting!" I yell, laughing so hard that I'm crying now. He smiles and gets off of me, lying back down beside me.

"There's something I need to talk to you about," he tells me, a serious look on his face now. I wipe my eyes and look up.

"What's up?" I ask. He looks down at his hands for a moment, then his eyes transfer to something across my room. Soon, he stands up and walks over to the balcony door. I sit up on the edge of my bed, my back straight and my ears open.

"Well... as you know... our seven-month anniversary is coming up..." he starts slowly.

"Yeah, on the third," I confirm, remembering the exact moment we began dating last year.

_It'd been another late night. We'd stayed up late at Sonic Boom, writing a song for a concert that was two days away..._

_"Whoo!" we exclaimed as we finished yet another song._

_"Another amazing song, Ally." Austin smiled as he high-fived me. He looked right down into my eyes. I swallowed and looked away from him. "What's wrong?" he asked, trying to catch my eye. I shook my head._

_"Nothing's wrong," I said, putting on a bright smile._

_"You sure?" he asked, full of concern now._

_"Yeah, I'm sure. Let's just record the song," I suggested._

_We have this thing now: After we write a song, we record it and put it on a CD. Austin had the idea when he caught me recording You Don't See Me for myself._

_"Alright," he said, a bit hesitantly. We walked up the stairs to the practice room. He put the headphones on his head and I walked over to the recording equipment. I turned everything on and pressed record. I smiled at Austin and gestured for him to start as the music began playing._

**I played it safe**

**I kept my foot up on the brake**

**I never really took a chance in life**

**And didn't live for today**

**Oh, girl, and then I met you**

**Opened my eyes to something new**

**You know you set me free like no one else**

**And got me acting a fool**

**Don't you know you know you changed my life?**

**Girl, 'cause now I'm livin' and it feels so right**

**Yeah**

**You got my heart beat pumpin' and it's going insane**

**You got me jumpin' outta aeroplanes**

**And that's why**

**I'm crazy; it's true**

**Crazy for you...**

_After we finished recording the song, we sat together on the piano bench for a while. It wasn't long before Austin turned to me with a serious yet tired look on his face._

_"Ally..." he said slowly._

_"Yes, Austin?" I turned to him and returned his gaze. The next thing he said shocked me. I didn't know if it was the sleepiness talking or not. But he said this:_

_"I'm... I _am _crazy for you... I love you with all of my heart. Your heart, actually. You stole my heart the second I laid eyes on you that day I was playing the drums with corn dogs downstairs in Sonic Boom. I love you. And I want to be with you. Forever... So, Ally... will you be my girlfriend?"_

_My mouth fell open and I stared at him._

He... he loves me? I never would have thought... I mean, he's just... Austin. He's a hot guy. He's supposed to be a player with a sweet exterior. That's what I thought he was. I didn't want to let myself actually fall for him, but I did anyway. I kept my feelings to myself, because I didn't think he felt the same way. And now here he is, confessing his love for me, and I'm just sitting here with a dumb look on my face.

_"Ally...?" Austin asked worriedly. "How do you feel about me...?"'_

_I couldn't speak. It's as if someone had ripped my vocal cords out of my throat. So I did the next best thing. I kissed him full on the mouth, smiling as I did so. Slowly, our arms encircled each other. As we pulled away from each other, I looked at him._

_Dumbly, he asked, "Is that a yes or a no?"_

_I'd found my voice._

_"It's a yes."_

The next day, I found out that it wasn't the sleepiness talking and that he actually loved me. Because, that day, he came to Sonic Boom, leaned across the counter, kissed me softly, and told me he loved me.

I smile at the memory and return to the present day.

"Right... Well, my parents wanted to meet your parents and suggested they meet on our anniversary date..." he says slowly.

"That's fine," I say.

"It is?" he asks, spinning around.

"Yeah," I confirm. "I mean, it's just one date that isn't about us. It's not like it'll tear us apart."

"You're right," Austin says after a moment. "I dunno why I was so afraid to ask."

I glance at my clock above my balcony door. It says 9:45. "It's time for you to go," I say, standing up and walking over to him. "You remember what happened last time. You got grounded and couldn't see me for a week."

"Worst week of my life," he says, kissing my lips softly.

"Seriously, go," I say, pointing to my door with my thumb. He smiles and leaves my room. I turn around and walk back over to my bed, climbing into it. Suddenly, Austin walks back in.

"I forgot something," he says, sounding guilty.

"What?" I ask.

"I love you," he says with a smile. I giggle as he turns to leave.

"I love you, too," I whisper even though he's gone. I get comfortable in my bed and fall asleep.

"Good morning, Ally-Gator," someone whispers in my ear.

I check my mental calendar. July 3rd. Austin and I's seven-month-iversary day. A smile spreads across my face. I quickly wipe the smile away and pretend to be asleep.

"Well... I guess she won't ever wake up," Austin says sarcastically. I hear him clear his throat. "Oh, Sleeping Beauty!" he calls. "Uh oh! She won't wake up. I suppose she can only be awaken with a kiss."

There's silence for a moment then Austin's lips are on mine. Silently, I sit up, leaning into his kiss and putting my hand on the back of his neck. Austin slowly sits down on my bed, smiling now. The kiss gets deeper and deeper as I run my fingers through his hair and his arms encircle my waist. After another few seconds, I find that I can't breathe and have to pull away from him. Unfortunately. Austin smiles.

"Ah, my princess has awoken," he whispers to me.

"And my prince has finally come," I whisper back. "I've waited a hundred years for you, you know." I smirk.

"Looks like I'm a little late then," he says. "I know just how to make up for it though."

Before I can say anything, he picks me up out of bed and carries me down the stairs. After breakfast, I grab my songbook and Austin and I set off for our day. First, we go by Sonic Boom to meet up with Trish and Dez for a little while.

We all mostly just talk for a little while. Well, Austin and I listen to Trish and Dez argue, really. They're arguing about some kind of stuff that isn't even worth arguing about. They never want to just shut up and actually talk to each other. If they did, they probably would be friends instead of frenemies.

"Happy seven-month-iversary!" they exclaim in unison as we begin to leave. "Hey, don't talk at the same time I do!" they say together again. "Stop!" they yell. "Oh, my God! Stop!"

Their bickering fades into the distance as Austin and I walk away. Austin walks on my right side and rests his arms around my shoulders. "So..." he says.

"So..." I copy him.

"What would my beautiful princess like to do today?" he asks me, making me giggle and blush.

"Well..." I start.

"Well... what?" Austin asks, urging me to finish.

"Well... I want to do something, but we do that all the time and I feel like you'd want to take a break from it," I say, looking over at the stores to my left.

"You want to... write a song?" he asks and I can tell he's smiling.

"Yeah... kind of..." I tell him.

He stops walking. "Me, too."

I look over at him and smile back. "Well, let's go write a song, then."

We walk back to Sonic Boom where Trish and Dez are still speaking at the same time. "Guys!" Austin yells.

Trish and Dez look up at him. "What?" they ask together again and look at each other annoyed, obviously wanting to argue some more.

"Maybe you two need some therapy..." I suggest quietly. "Like a marriage counselor." I nudge Austin and he smirks.

Trish and Dez look at me as if I'd just suggested we all eat newborn, human babies for lunch.

"Me?!" they scream at the same time.

"And him?!"

"And her?!"

"Married?!" they ask. "Eww!" They stomp out of Sonic Boom.

"I knew that would work," I say, putting on a smirk of my own.

I close the doors of Sonic Boom and put up the "Closed" sign. I intertwine my fingers with Austin's and we walk up the stairs to the practice room. We sit down at the piano and I look around for my songbook. "Have you… have you seen my book? I know I brought it when we were here earlier. And I put it down right—" I pat a spot on the piano lid. "—here when I came up here for some water."

Austin whistles a bit suspiciously. "I haven't seen it." He shrugs. He looks anywhere but at me.

"Austin…"

"Ally…" He mimics my tone.

I raise an eyebrow at him when he finally looks over at me.

"What?" he asks.

"You're _sure_ you haven't seen my book," I say, looking him up and down.

"I'm absolutely sure," he says. I stare at him for another moment before he finally pulls my book out from under the piano bench quickly and begins to hand it to me. "Okay, okay!"

"Don't touch my book!" I exclaim, snatching it from him. I take a deep breath and flip through it.

"I'm sorry," Austin says sincerely, wrapping his arms around me from the side and kissing my cheek.

I blush. "It's okay…" I tell him. I smile.

"Hey…" Austin says.

"Hi," I reply.

He lets out a small chuckle. "Do you think we could write a… you know… different kind of song?"

"How much different do you want it to be?" I ask.

"Completely different," he says.

"What do you mean?" I ask, turning to him.

"Uh… well… Let's put it this way: I want it to be the exact opposite of Not a Love Song…" he says.

I tuck a strand of my hair behind my ear. "But… but you said that you don't do love—"

"I know what I said," he tells me. "But now I'm saying this: I want to write a love song."

I blush and swallow. "Uh… o-okay…" My eyes fall on a song I began to write ages ago. Before Austin can peek over my shoulder—as he always does—I close my book, my finger bookmarking the page. "You don't think this'll change your image? Because everyone knows you as a fast song/pop song kind of guy…"

"I don't care what people think of it," Austin says, smiling.

I stay silent and still for a second. "How about we just keep this song to ourselves?" I ask.

"Well… if that's what you want," he says with a sigh.

I bite my lip and open my book. "I have the perfect melody," I say, trying to get rid of the awkward feeling in the air. I stretch my fingers over the keys. "And some verses." Austin watches my fingers intently as I play.

_Ooh_

_Yeah_

_You can be the peanut butter to my jelly_

_You can be the butterflies I feel in my belly_

_You can be the captain and I can be your first mate_

_You can be the chills that I feel on our first date_

_You can be the hero and I can be your sidekick_

_You can be the tear that I cry if we ever split_

_You can be the rain from the cloud when it's stormin'_

_Or you can be the sun when it shines in the mornin'_

I stop playing and look over at Austin who's staring off into space, smiling. "Austin." I snap my fingers in front of his face, pulling him back down to Earth.

"Yeah?" he asks, a little dazed.

"What d'you think?" I ask.

"It-it was awesome," he says with a smile.

"Thanks," I say, smiling. I flip the page of my songbook and continue playing.

_Don't know if I could ever be_

_Without you 'cause, boy, you complete me_

_And in time, I know that we'll both see_

_That we're all we need_

_'Cause you're the apple to my pie_

_You're the straw to my berry_

_You're the smoke to my high_

_And you're the one I wanna marry_

I stop playing but Austin continues singing.

_'Cause you're the one for me_

_And I'm the one for you_

_You take the both of us_

_And we're the perfect two_

_We're the perfect two_

_We're the perfect two_

_Baby, me and you_

_We're the perfect two_

I blush. Did Austin just sing that? Did I write that down in my songbook or something and did he read it? No, I don't see it down there. I think he just wrote some lyrics! I smile and kiss his cheek.

He smiles back and says, "Oh, I forgot. We have a dinner to eat at eight."

"Where?" I ask.

"It's a surprise," he replies, tapping my nose.

I smile and cock my head, looking up at him. "You know I hate surprises," I mutter to him.

"But you love me, right?" he asks.

"Of course," I say.

"Then just trust me on this."

Eight o'clock rolls around faster than I thought it would. Austin and I spent all day working on Perfect Two. I think we're almost finished. At seven o'clock, Austin and I went home to get ready. Trish, of course, helped me get ready for the date.

She has me in a red semi-short dress with a V-neck that doesn't… show too much. The dress is layered and frilly at the bottom. She let me borrow her bright red heels that make me at least four inches taller. She layered my hair and is making me wear _In Love _perfume.

It smells really good and she said that she thought Austin might like it. The only thing on me that isn't red is my makeup. It's mostly just natural colors. She told me to take my purse along and keep my phone in it so that I could tell her how the date was going.

Trish stood back to look at me. "Twirl," she tells me.

"What? Why?" I ask.

"Which one of us worked at a modeling agency for half a day and watched a bunch of models twirl for the wardrobe girl?" she asks.

"You did…" I answer.

"Thank you. Now twirl," she orders once more.

I follow her instructions and twirl once, making the layers of my dress flow out in a circle. I look at Trish and see that she's crying. "What's wrong, Trish?" I ask worriedly.

"You just look so beautiful!" she exclaims. She wipes her tears and smiles. "Tonight will be the night that Austin will fall for you all over again."

I gasp and reach into my purse, pulling out my songbook.

"Ally, don't take that with you!" Trish scolds.

"But Trish—!" I start.

"No buts!" she cut me off. "Give it to me."

I hold it close to my chest. "Just let me write _one thing _in it. Please. I'll leave it here, I promise."

Trish sighs and says, "All right."

_Tonight will be the night that I will fall for you… all over again_, I write in my book. I carefully set it down on my bed. "Don't touch that while I'm gone," I warn Trish.

"I won't," she says, "you know I won't."

The doorbell downstairs rings before I can say another word. "I've got it!" I scream down the stairs as I open the door to my room. Trish grabs my arm though.

"Ally, let me get it. We'll leave you a mystery for now," she tells me with a smile.

I smile back and watch her walk down the stairs. I hear the door open and Trish exclaims, "Austin! It's so nice to see you!" She laughs a fake laugh and I hear the door close once more.

I pick up my purse and inch down the stairs. I hear hushed whispers. I'm on the last step when I find that I can hear what Trish is saying now.

"Austin, if you hurt Ally in any way, I will personally come to your house, strip you of your skin, and boil your flesh over an open flame. Got it?" Trish asks.

"Yes, Trish, I got it," Austin's voice says at a normal volume. "You tell me the exact same thing every time I take Ally out of your sight."

"I just want to make sure you know," she tells him.

I come into sight and Austin smiles brightly. "Wow… you look… amazing…" he says.

"Thanks," I say. "You do too."

He's wearing a suit. He's wearing the suit he wore to Trish's quinceañera. The night we had our first dance. And the night we almost shared our first kiss. We were interrupted twice. I could tell Austin had been about to kiss me when he dipped me and he had been about to kiss me when we were under the table.

But that was before I knew of my feelings for him.

Still, a small part of me _wanted _him to kiss me…

I'm not sure when I knew I was in love with Austin but if I had to pick, it would be that night. I look at Austin's tie and notice that he didn't put it on correctly. I walk over to him and untie it.

"What are you doing?" he asks.

"You put your tie on wrong," I say. He watches my fingers as I tie it correctly and tighten it.

"Thanks, Als," he says, leaning down to kiss me.

"Whoa, whoa!" Trish stops him. "Not in my house!"

"Trish… this is my house…" I correct her.

"Whatever," she says. Then she shoves us out the door.

"What about Lester and Penny?" Austin asks me as he opens my door. I sit down and put my seatbelt on. He opens his own door and gets in.

"They're doing the same thing your parents are doing," he says.

"Ah," I say.

We're mostly silent except for the low music playing on the radio. I'm not even sure what song it is; all I care about right now is Austin. I keep sneaking side-glances at him. He's so handsome in that suit. I can barely stand it. We arrive at the restaurant. He got reservations at The Palm?! Wow!

We walk inside. "Moon reservation," Austin tells the waiter.

The waiter runs his finger down a white piece of paper. "Ah, Moon, table for six, eight o'clock." He looks up. "Where's your party?"

"They're on their way," Austin tells him. Right when he finishes that sentence, Mike and Mimi walk through the door and over to us. "Hey, Mom, Dad."

The waiter leads us to two tables that have been pushed together. Austin sits across from me and his dad sits beside him. Mimi sits beside me, across from Mike.

"Ally, how nice to see you," Mimi says with a smile, looking over at me. "Where are your parents?"

"Oh, they're coming," I tell her. We talk about my parents for about ten more minutes.

"I can't wait to meet them. Austin's told me so much about them. He told me they owned a music store?" he asks me, as if to make sure.

"Yeah, they own Sonic Boom," I confirm.

"Sonic Boom?" Mike and Mimi ask simultaneously. The waiter arrives with my mom and dad when they say that.

"You!" my dad, my mom, Mike, and Mimi all say at the same time.

"Huh! Now I see why you were so late!" Mike exclaims, his tone cold all of a sudden. "The Dawsons _have _always been latecomers!"

"We showed up to _one _mall meeting late and suddenly we're 'latecomers'!" my dad shoots back.

"Your makeup is trashy," my mom spits.

"Oh, like yours is any better?" Mimi asks.

Mike and Mimi stand up and everyone gets into an argument. Austin and I stand up and stay out of the way. They're screaming now and everyone in the restaurant is staring at them.

"Austin!" Mike and Mimi say.

"Ally!" my parents shout.

"We're leaving!" they all say together.

"But—!" I start.

"No buts, Allyson! We're leaving!" my mom yells.

"Tell your little girlfriend goodbye because you're never seeing her again!" Mimi shouts.

"What?!" Austin and I ask simultaneously.

**So what'd you think?! Good? Not good? Terrible? So bad that I should just stop writing, throw my laptop away, crawl into a hole and die? HOPEFULLY, it's not the last choice. If it is, I'm sorry but I'm not gonna throw my laptop away, crawl into a hole and die. I might stop writing but… yeah, you get the point. Anyhoodles, review, subscribe (or follow, whatever you wanna call it), and/or favorite! :D**

**LoVe, KeNzIe**

**P.S. Omg, I was so excited when I got the email that told me that my story Where There's A Nerdy Girl, There's A Cocky Boy and Where There's A Nerdy Girl, There's A Cocky Boy: The Sequel was nominated! Thank you, i-luv-ross-lynch-and-r5 and xXLGBTXx (ausllyfan01) and whoever else nominated my stories. My stories have never been nominated before I was just soooooo excited. I just can't even. I mean, all I did was get nominated and I'm excited. I would probably explode if I won xD Someone would have to come scrape my splattered remains from the walls…**

**Ew…**

**Anyhoodles, byyyyye. For real this time xD**


	2. Chapter 2

"What?!" Austin and I ask simultaneously.

My parents agreed with Mike and Mimi and Austin and I are now forbidden to see each other ever again. Mike grabbed Austin and my mom grabbed me. They drug us out of the doors of the restaurant. My mom shoved me into the back of the car roughly while tears streamed down my face. I watched Mike's distorted face as he screamed at Austin outside of their car. I didn't even understand why he was mad at Austin.

Now I'm sitting at home on my bed, crying my eyes out, refusing to let anyone into my room.

"How could you tear me away from him like that?!" I scream at no one in particular through my tears.

I have to go see him.

I leave my room and walk downstairs. I grab my jacket from beside the front door and pull it around my shoulders, wiping my tears.

"Where do you think you're going?" my mother asks sternly. She's still angry.

"I'm going to Austin's house," I tell her, a cold look in my eye.

"I don't think so. You're going right back up to that room and straight to bed. Now march!"

I throw my jacket onto the floor and walk up to my room. Out of the corner of my eye, I see my mom's face soften as she sighs and bends down to pick up my jacket.

I slam my door behind me, making it echo down the slender hallway outside my room.

"Don't slam your door, Allyson!" my mom yells up at me.

I groan loudly and walk out onto my balcony with my book.

_Dear Diary,_

_So… I've already told you all about tonight but I just need to write something. To calm my nerves. I'd write a song but… no ideas. At all. Anyway, I just wish Austin could come and take me away from all of this. This is crazy. My parents don't want me to be with Austin because they hate his parents. Does that make any sense whatsoever? No. It doesn't. They're all being childish! I mean, I'll see him at school but that's it, really. And it's summer anyway! Well, I guess I'll just go back to sleep. I'll write in you tomorrow. Promise._

_Love, Ally_

I take a quick shower, slip into my pajamas, and go to sleep snug in my bed. I just wish Austin were here beside me….

**Austin's POV:**

I stay up half the night, throwing my belongings down the stairs, hoping they'll hit someone. But, unfortunately, my parents are smart. They stay clear of the stairs. I almost throw my instruments but I know better. If I throw them, I'll never own an instrument again. And that won't solve my problem anyway. I sit down on my bed, thinking over my realization.

Throwing things won't solve anything.

I sigh and watch something drip onto my pants, making a spot on my dark-wash jeans darker. I look up, wondering if my roof was leaking. Then I realize that it isn't even raining. I wonder what's leaking through it. Then I realize something else. My hair is stuck to my face with… sweat?

I reach up and stroke my face.

…

_Tears. I'm… _crying_._

_But why?_

_Wait… I know why._

_Ally…_

I miss her already and it's only been a few hours. I guess it's the fact that I probably will never see her again.

Ever.

Well, I'll see her at school… and possibly around the mall… but that's it, really. I'll never be able to go over to her house again and she'll never come to mine. We'll never go out on a date again and…

And I'll gonna miss sound of her voice… and the rush of her skin… I'll miss the still of the silence… as she breathed out and I breathed in… I'll miss the faith and desire in the swing of her hips. God, she pulled me down hard and drowned me in love.

For some reason, I sort of sang that in my head as I thought it. I decide to write it down. It'll be good to write down how I feel about Ally. She'll like that I could actually translate my feelings. I've never been able to do that before… Ally can change me…

I sigh, roll over, still wearing my clothes from the dinner, and fall asleep.

I woke up the next morning, not rested at all. I yawn, scratch the back of my head, and stand up. I go to my bathroom and take a quick shower. I dress in a T-shirt and blue jeans with a chain and walk down the stairs.

"Where are you going?" my mom asks casually as I walk toward the front door.

"To the mall," I answer, putting my hand on the doorknob of the front door.

"Mike!" she exclaims.

He runs into the room. "Is he going to the mall?" he asks my mom.

She nods, not saying anything.

"Well… um… we'll… drop you off. We… we were going to stop by the Mattress Kingdom today anyway," my dad says.

"I know what you're doing. You're going to spy on me to make sure I don't talk to Ally or walk by Sonic Boom," I say with a poker face. "Don't worry; I'm just going to meet Dez at the movies."

My mom gasps. "We'd do no such thing!" she says, a fake horrified look on her face.

"B-but… now that you mention it… that's a good idea…" my dad says. He pauses. "I'm only joking, son. I know you won't talk to Ally. You don't need us watching over you every second of the day from now on." He pauses again. "But we'll need your phone."

"What? Why?" I ask.

"Oh… reasons…" my mom says.

I sigh and hand over my phone. "Fine. Whatever. I'll see you guys later."

**Ally's POV:**

"Mom, Dad, is it really necessary to come to work with me? I'm not going to go see Austin. After my shift is over, I'm just gonna hang out with Trish. She's gonna help me get my mind off of Austin," I lie. My voice cracked as I said his name. I hold back tears.

The truth is: Trish doesn't know about anything that happened last night. I just needed an excuse for them not to watch over me.

"You're right, Ally. We can always check with Trish's parents and ask where she's been," my mom agrees with me.

After a few more annoying minutes of lecturing from my dad about Austin, I finally get to leave for the mall. I switch the sign to open and trudge to my spot behind the counter. I rest my head in my hands and my elbows on the counter and look down at the counter. I hear someone walk in.

"Welcome to Sonic Boom. We have an extensive collection of instruments just for you. Is there anything I can help you with?" I mutter unenthusiastically.

"What's wrong, Ally?" a familiar voice asks worriedly.

My head snaps up. "Huh? Oh, nothing, Trish. Well… actually… it is something. I didn't tell you last night because, honestly, I didn't feel like it. And I would have told you earlier this morning but—"

"Oh, for God's sake, just tell me!" she exclaims, getting annoyed.

"Austin and I… kind of… sort of… in a way…" I trail off.

"Spit it out!"

I take her advice. "We broke up!" I finally spit out.

"What?! What did that little jerk do to you?! He broke your heart now I'm _literally _going to break his!" she shouts, getting mad.

"No, it—it wasn't his fault. It… it was our parents' faults…" I say quietly.

"What? How?" she asks. A customer walks in, looks around, and then goes to stand behind Trish.

"Well, last night, we had our seven-month-iversary date. As you already know. His parents wanted to meet my parents on that night so they did. It turns out, they already knew each other… and hated each other. So… it was an unspoken thing. They just said Austin and I weren't allowed to see each other ever again." I choke back a sob. "And so we basically broke up." The tears flow now.

"Um… hello? I need an instrument for my girlfriend? It's our seven month anniversary today," the man behind Trish says impatiently.

"Can't you see we're busy?!" Trish yells.

I cry uncontrollably. "My boyfriend and I broke up on our seven month anniversary!" I sob.

"Oh... um… I'll just… come back later then…" the man says, pointing to the door with his thumb.

"Yeah," Trish says. "That's what I thought."

The man leaves and I cry. "Trish… what am I gonna do? I can't… I can't function correctly without Austin… My… my heart… it doesn't… it literally hurts… Like, my chest hurts right now. But I know it doesn't really. My brain is sending messages to my chest, saying my heart is broken, so it hurts. And—"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Trish says.

"It doesn't matter anyway." I sigh, but it comes out ragged, due to my crying. "Can you change the sign to "closed"?" I ask.

While she's turned around, I bend down and slide under the counter. Sometimes, when Austin is away somewhere, I'll still stay late, writing a song without him. It feels weird but I do it anyway. And, when I get tired, I have a little bed set up under the counter. There's a little shelf that I fit into perfectly.

"Ally?" I hear Trish ask. "Where'd you go?"

"I'm under here," I mumble through my crying.

"What are you doing?" she asks, walking behind the counter.

"Dying," I answer simply.

"You'll live, I promise. I wouldn't let you die," Trish mutters.

She pulls me out and stands me up. I let my body go limp. Her arms tighten around me and she refuses to let me fall. I groan and she stumbles under my weight. We both fall to the ground.

"Ally!" she exclaims. She picks me up again and stands me up straight, holding me in place by my shoulders. Suddenly, she slaps me. "Ally!" she yells again. "Get! It! Together!"

I force my legs to hold me up and cup my cheek. "Ow…" I say quietly. I sniff, wipe my tears, and stare straight into her eyes which are already boring into my own. "All right. I'm good. I'm going to make myself forget about Austin." My voice cracked on his name and I have to choke back tears.

"I'm not asking you to forget about him…" she starts.

"Oh, good, because that's literally impossible," I say with a sigh of relief.

"… I'm just asking you to get over him," she finishes.

"Oh…" I say. I sit down on the floor and hug my knees. "Oh…" I repeat. "No… I… I can't do that. Austin… he was… my whole life. One of the three people who actually understood me and liked me for who I was. He made me feel beautiful even when I knew I wasn't. He made me feel like I was the only girl in the world that actually mattered to him.

"He… he would drop everything he was doing just to help me. Remember that time he missed his meeting with Jimmy Starr just so he could take care of me that time I was sick? His career used to be the most important thing in the world to him. Now it's second place, thanks to me.

"I… I ruined his life!" I suddenly realize. "He… he… he could have gotten a record deal… He… he could have gone on a world tour! I messed all of that up! I just…" I whisper my last sentence, "I ruined his life…"

"Ally, you didn't ruin his life. He'll get all of those chances again because of your amazing songs. Don't worry, Ally," Trish tries to reassure me.

"No, Trish! We won't be able to even _write _amazing songs together because our parents have forbidden us to even see each other!" I shout.

"They—they have?" Trish asks me, her hard voice softening.

"They have…" I confirm, calming down too.

"Well, I'll… I'll help you find a new boyfriend," Trish says quietly, trying to lighten the mood.

I shake my head. "No, thanks. My… my heart will always belong to Austin…"

**Austin's POV:**

I finally reach the mall movie theater. Dez is waiting for me right outside. "There you are! I've been waiting for hours!" Dez exclaims.

I glance down at my watch. "Dez, I'm here at the time we said we'd meet. You didn't have to be here a few hours ago."

"Oh…" he says. "Well, anyway, are you ready to go see the new Bikini Blood Bash?"

"Actually, Dez… I need to talk to someone about this and you're my best friend so I feel like I can talk to you," I say.

"Dude, talking's for chicks. Seeing a movie _about_ chicks in bikinis having a blood bash on a beach is for boys!" he says, smiling brightly.

"It's about Ally," I say urgently.

His face is wiped clear of emotion at her name. "Let's go to the food court."

We walk to the food court and sit down without getting anything to eat. "What's up?"

"Well…" I start. The story of last night's dinner date disaster pours out of my mouth.

"So… lemme get this straight," he says, his wise side coming out. "You're not allowed to date Ally just because your _parents _hate each other? Is it just me or is that completely stupid?"

"It's completely stupid!" I agree. I sigh, shaking my head. "Dez, I dunno what to do… Ally just… She kept my heart beating, you know? Without her… I feel dead."

He puts his hand on my shoulder. "I know what'll make you feel better. Playing Call of Duty: Black Ops II at my house," Dez says.

I look up at him. "On the TV in your basement?" I ask.

"On the TV in my basement," he confirms, closing his eyes and nodding.

"What are we waiting for?!" I ask, jumping up. While we play Black Ops II, I almost forget about my problem with Ally.

Almost.

"Come on, Ally, it's Independence Day! Let's go get some fireworks and sparklers!" Trish exclaims, dragging me into Fred's Fireworks.

Trish, I'm not really in a festive mood," I tell her truthfully. "I just want to sit at home."

"Sorry, hon', but that's not an option," she says, stopping at the counter. She addresses the cashier now, "We'll take the biggest box you got!"

"That'll be one hundred fifty dollars please," the woman says. "Ally, give her the money," Trish says, nudging me.

"I don't have any money with me," I tell her, shocked that she even asked me in the first place. _She's _the one who wanted fireworks! Not me!

She sighs and pulls her wallet out of her small, green purse. "Geez, Ally," she mumbles, counting out one hundred fifty dollars. She hands it to the woman. "We're gonna have some fun tonight," she says with a creepy grin on her face as we leave the store with our fireworks.

Up goes the first firework, launched from the beach. The whizzing noise pierces my ears then there's a thundering _boom! _An orange heart spreads across the sky. Many other colorful shapes fill the sky before Trish comes out onto my balcony with the box of fireworks.

"I just realized something, Trish…" I say as she sets down the large box. "Don't you have to have a permit to shoot fireworks in Florida?"

"I have one," she tells me absentmindedly.

"How did you get a permit?" I ask, shocked.

"Well, it's my parents' permit but if someone calls the cops on us, we can just call my parents," she explains.

"If you say so…" I say.

As soon as I finish my sentence, she lights up the first firework. This is gonna be a long night.

**I am soooooo sorry, you guys, that I haven't updated. I couldn't even stick to my own schedule -_- *facepalm* You guys have permission to murder my face. Not gonna take up too much of your time so sorry that it's so short and late :( I'll see you guys next Wednesday (Hopefully)**

**_LoVe, KeNzIe_**


	3. Chapter 3

**Austin's POV:**

Dez and I are down on the beach with all the Moon's Mattress Kingdom employees. They're shooting promotional fireworks along with a few regular ones.

One goes up, makes an annoying fizzing sound, and then thunders across the sky. A big, yellow star with the words "Moon's Mattress Kingdom: There's No Hassle In Our Castle!" spreads across the sky.

I sigh and lay back against my beach towel. See, I'd had this special firework made just for Ally. I knew Ally would like it and I thought I'd be spending Independence Day with Ally. But guess what I'm not doing this year. Spending Independence Day with Ally. I groan at my own thought.

Dez jumps up and runs over to the Moon's Mattress Kingdom employees and asks excitedly if he can shoot a firework. He's been asking them over and over again for the past two or three hours!

"Dez, if we've told you once, we've told you a million times: _Fireworks_. _Are_. _Dangerous_! And Mr. Moon specifically instructed us _not _to let you shoot any," one of the employees tell him.

"Man," Dez groans, kicking some sand and hanging his head. The employee he talked to sighs.

"Well… it _is _the end… I… guess you can shoot one," the man says. Dez's head snaps up and he literally hops back over to him. "But _only _one!"

Dez runs excitedly out to the spot my parents paid for. He takes a familiar-looking firework out of his jacket. He glances back at me and winks. It takes me a moment to realize that that's _my _firework.

I stand up. Dez lights the lighter, holds it to the wick, and when it sparks, he runs back toward my beach towel. When he passes me, he grabs my arm and pulls me backwards toward my towel. "Dez, no! Why did you—?!" I begin to ask but a red light emerges from the firework, leaving the box behind. It shoots up into the sky with a loud _whiz!_

A red heart covers the sky. _I Love You, Ally. Forever And Always. Love, Austin_

I stare at the words until they die out. I turn around. "Dez, are you crazy?!" I ask, reaching the beach towel. "What if my parents had been out here?!"

"We already are," I hear my dad's voice say behind me.

"Austin, honey, you're going to have to get over this girl sooner or later," my mother says in her most soothing voice.

"But I don't _want _to get over her!" I exclaim. "Come on, Dez, let's go to your house."

**Ally's POV:**

Trish and I sit on my balcony, watching fireworks shoot up from the beach shore. I didn't really care for most of them. But then one catches my eye.

A red heart fills the sky with the words "I Love You, Ally. Forever And Always. Love, Austin" on it. My mouth drops open. My open mouth slowly turns into a smile.

"Aw, Ally, look!" Trish exclaims, hitting my shoulder and pointing to the sky.

"I—I see it," I say. "I _have _to talk to him tomorrow."

"Why not tonight?" Trish asks.

"Because he's probably tired. He's probably going to go home and go to sleep," I tell Trish. "And besides, I'm tired too. Those fireworks are crazy."

Even though we'd been shooting fireworks all night, half of the box is still left over. It was a really big box.

"Anyway, are you gonna walk home or do you want to stay the night?"

"Ally, are you joking? My house is so far away," she complains. "I'm definitely staying here."

"Trish, you live down the street," I say. "I can literally see your house from here."

She doesn't say anything for a moment. Finally, she says, "Well, you offered. All I'm doing is accepting."

"Well, you can sleep on my bed tonight," I tell her.

"Where will you sleep?" she asks.

"I probably won't tonight…"

"Ally, why don't you just call him?"

"I've already tried. His phone's off."

"Dez's phone?" Trish asks.

"That's pretty smart! Can I see your phone real quick?" I ask.

"Why can't you use your own?" she asks me.

"My parents took mine earlier today," I explain. She hands me her phone and I call Dez.

"Yellow?" he answers. "Maybe I should answer it "Orange?" since my hair is orange… or maybe I should dye my hair yellow… Anyway, hi."

"Can I talk to Austin?" I ask.

"Austin, do you want to talk?" Dez asks, away from the phone.

"Sure," I hear Austin mutter. "Hello?"

"Hey, Austin, it's Ally. What was—?"

"Dez set it off. I was going to but then we kinda broke up… ish. But I wasn't going to shoot it but Dez shot it anyway," he explains quickly. I hear him sigh. "Dez, can you…?"

"Oh, yeah, sure," I hear Dez say then a door shuts.

"I meant for you to be on the other side of it though…" Austin says.

"Oh!" Dez exclaims. The door shuts again.

"Trish, can you go downstairs and get some a blanket and some pillows from the—?" I start to ask but Trish cuts me off.

"I know where they are. And I get it, Ally. I'll get your mom to help me make some s'mores too," she tells me then she leaves my room.

"Ally, I really miss you. And it's only been a day. I just can't stop thinking about you. My parents keep telling me to get over you and they don't realize how crazy that suggestion is," Austin tells me.

"I… I miss you too, Austin. I've been so… sad… without you… I…" I trail off. Tears begin rolling down my face. "I don't know how long I'll be able to stay away from you."

"Baby, don't… I mean, uh… Ally… don't cry. Please don't. Monday is only four days away. Then we can spend all school day together," Austin reassures me.

"Why don't you go see that romantic silent movie that's playing in the park tomorrow night?" I hear Dez ask.

"Dez, have you been eavesdropping this whole time?" Austin asks, away from the phone.

"Yes, but anyway, you guys should go see _Le Voyage De L'Amour_ tomorrow night! Or, well, tonight, since it's technically already Friday…" Dez says.

"Ally?" Austin asks softly. "What do you think?"

"I'll meet you at the park tomorrow," I say, a smile spreading across my face.

"All right. Bye, Als. I…" He pauses. "… love you," he finishes confidently.

I blush. "I…" I hear a knock on my door and wipe my eyes quickly. I turn around to see my mom standing in the doorway. "… gotta go. My mom wants me for something. Bye," I say, thinking of a name quickly to prove to my mom that it isn't Austin I'm talking to, "Katie." I hang up the phone quickly.

My mom eyes me for a moment. "Uh, the s'mores are done… if you want some."

"Sounds good," I say.

"Who were you just talking to?" Mom asks.

"Ashley," I say quickly.

"You just say 'Bye, _Katie_,' though," she tells me.

"Yeah… uh… we call her Katie sometimes. And sometimes we call Trish… 'Liz.' And sometimes, they call me… um… they call me 'Becca.'"

"'Becca'?" she asks. "Well, all right, Becca. Come on down for some s'mores." She smiles at me. We walk downstairs together.

"Hey, Liz," I say with a wink at my mom.

"Liz?" Trish asks.

"I'll explain later," I tell her under my breath. I take a s'more from a plate and bite into it. "Mm… Yum, these are delicious."

Trish and my mom both smile brightly. "Thank you. I made them," they say together then look at each other. "_We _made them," they correct themselves.

"Well, whoever made them, they're amazing," I say. I put about five onto a different plate. I grab the original plate and bring it up to my room, Trish following behind me.

"Goodnight!" Mom calls up the stairs.

"'Night!" Trish and I say simultaneously.

We walk into my room and close my door. I set the s'mores down on my bed.

"So, what'd I miss?" Trish asks, taking her phone from me.

"Uh… not much…" I had tried to conceal my smile but it just spreads across my face. "Austin—well, Dez— asked me to meet Austin at the park tomorrow night so we could watch _Le Voyage De L'Amour _together. But, of course, we have to do it secretly. In case my parents or his parents stop by."

"Aw, your first secret date!" Trish exclaims. "How cute."

A knock on my door makes me jump. I tell whoever is on the other side that they can come in and my door open.

"I'm sorry, but did someone just say something about a secret date?" Mom asks.

"Uh… yeah!" I say. Trish stares at me like I'm crazy. "Trish is going out on a secret date with her new boyfriend… Dustin." I really need to think about random names _ahead _of time. All I did was combine Dez and Austin's names.

"Really?" my mom asks.

"Yeah!" Trish says, to help. "His mom doesn't like me for some reason so we have to sneak around, y'know?" trying

"Oh… can't imagine why she doesn't like you…" Mom replies as if she obviously knows why Dustin's mom doesn't like Trish. "Well, I'm going to bed. Good night Ally, Trish."

"'Night," Trish and I say for the second time tonight.

She closes my door and I glance at my alarm clock. "Whoa, Trish! Look at the time. I'm gonna get to bed. You can go to bed whenever you want. Just don't. Touch. My. Book."

I lay down on my makeshift bed on the floor and fall asleep.

**I AM SO SORRY, YOU GUYS. It's literally been a month and day since I updated :( I'm sorry. Long story short: YMCA, babysitting, visits from cousin, two projects that I had two weeks to do that were due on the same day (well, just school in general), shots twice a week, and a dog who actually somehow deleted all of my work a few weeks ago. He stepped on my laptop-keyboard and the whole document went blank. I threw about half of the things I own across the room and broke about a third of the half. I didn't touch the dog though, I promise. I'm sorry this is so short; I just figured I should post SOMETHING. I'll try my best to update sometime next week. If not, D. DUN, DUN, **_**DUN! **_**Lol, jk, I was probably just lazy. Anyway, remember, I love you all and YOU (yes, you, the one who is reading this author's note) are the single reason I keep writing! Hopefully, you guys still love me!**

_**LoVe, KeNzIe**_


	4. Chapter 4

When I wake up, I see Austin hovering above my head. I close my eyes and smile. Wait, what? I reopen my eyes and see that it is indeed Austin kneeling by my side.

"Austin?" I ask. I sit up. He looks as if he's about to kiss me. Instead of kissing him, I give him a great shove. "Are you crazy?! My dad is going to kill you!"

"Ally!" someone exclaims. My eyes flutter open and see that it's Trish over me; not Austin.

"What?" I moan.

"You've slept all day! You have to get up," she snaps.

My eyes widen. "What time is it?"

"It's about five," Trish tells me.

"I-in the morning?" I say, hearing the hope in my own voice.

She shakes her head. "Come on. I let you sleep because you know how you are if someone interrupts your precious slumber. Now get up. You have to get ready for your date."

In just ten minutes, Trish has me dressed in regular skinny jeans and a black blouse. She's given me a bit of makeup but not too much. And she's letting me wear my old signature brown boots that actually aren't my signature boots anymore since I haven't worn them in months.

When she handed them to me, I clutched them to my chest and sighed happily. "Oh, I've missed you so much," I'd whispered to them.

"Yeah, and I bet your feet missed them even more!" Trish had replied sarcastically. "Let them have their reunion."

I sigh and slip the boots onto my feet. I smile, happy that they still fit. "All right, come on, Ally. We need to get you to the park."

"Mom, I'm going to the… mall to work on a song," I call up the stairs.

"Why would you need to write a song if you're not working with Austin anymore?" she calls back down.

"I can't write songs for myself anymore?" I ask. "Geez, Mom!"

"I'm sorry, sweetie! Just remember to lock up when you leave!"

"Will do!"

Trish and I walk out the door toward the park. Trish starts to run and I follow closely behind her. "Trish, wait up!"

"Hurry up! Dez just texted me and he told me the movie's about to start!" she exclaims, now at least six feet in front of me.

I speed up and we're at the park in no time.

**No One's POV:**

"I'll see you later, Trish," Ally says, shooing her away. Ally finds Austin in less than a minute and sits down beside him on his blanket.

_I love the way her eyes sparkle in the moonlight… _Austin thinks to himself. A gentle breeze blows through her hair and his smile gets even bigger.

"I'm so glad you could make it," he says quietly. "I got you something…" He pulls a small, black box out of his pocket and hands it to Ally.

She opens it and smiles. Inside is a necklace with her name on it. "I love it," she says with a smile. Austin secures it around her neck.

The movie starts. Trish decides to stick around. She sits down on the bench and notices someone else is sitting there too. She looks over. "Dez! What are you doing here?!" she asks.

Everyone in the park shushes her, but Austin and Ally didn't seem to notice. "I'm spying on Austin and Ally! Duh!" Dez replies quietly. "What are _you _doing here?"

"Same," she says simply. Around the middle of the movie, everyone suddenly says, "Awww!" including Dez. Trish stares at him for a moment with a raised eyebrow.

Austin leans in, and puts his arm around Ally.

Back at Ally's house, Penny notices something as she walks toward the kitchen.

Ally nuzzles up, feeling butterflies.

The key to Sonic Boom is still on the hook beside the door.

Austin's heart is beating out of his chest.

Penny runs to Lester, furious, and tells him that Ally lied.

_This is…_ Austin begins to think.

Penny and Lester run to the car, thinking of places she might be.

_This is… _Ally also thinks.

"The park!" Penny and Lester say together, remembering the silent movie that's playing.

_Perfect… _Austin and Ally think at the same time.

Ally looks up into Austin's eyes and they lean in. "Oh, no!" Trish whispers, nudging Dez and pointing to Ally's parents.

"Uh oh!" he whispers back. "Austin!" he whisper-yells. Everyone shushes him.

"Ally!" Trish whisper-_screams _and everyone shushes her too. Austin and Ally don't hear Trish and Dez, but it's too late anyway.

Just when their lips are about to connect, Ally is ripped away from Austin. Her mother drags her to the car.

"Awww!" everyone but Trish and Austin say sadly in response to the movie.

Sobs begin everywhere. "Just tell him you love him, Claudia!" Dez exclaims quietly, sobbing too.

Trish rolls her eyes and goes to sit with Austin. "I'm sorry. We tried to warn you, but you guys didn't hear us…"

Silent tears roll down Ally's cheeks as she's forced into the car. She rolls down the window and pokes her head out of it, staring at Austin. Not wanting to be shushed, she mouths, "I love you, Austin…"

"I love you, too," he mouths back. Angry at Ally's parents, he stands up and walks toward his house. Dez follows close behind him and so does Trish.

Ally crosses her arms and ignores all of her parents' attempts at conversation. When they reach her house, she gets out of the car, slams the door as hard as she can, and walks up to her room angrily.

"Ally, wait," Penny calls but she just keeps walking. She slams her own door and locks it. She grabs her songbook and walks out to the balcony. She closes that door and sits on the banister.

_Dear Diary/Songbook,_

_I went out on a date with Austin tonight. We went to the park and watched about half of _Le Voyage De L'Amour_. He got me a really pretty necklace with my name on it. We were rudely interrupted by my parents who dragged me home. Well, it's getting cold out here on my balcony so I'm gonna go inside and go to sleep. I'll write in you later._

_Love, Ally_

Over at Austin's house, Austin walks up to his room, oblivious to the fact that Dez and Trish are behind him. He almost closes the door in their face before he realizes they're there. He doesn't even question why they're there. He just leaves the door open and flops down on his bed.

"You okay, buddy?" Dez asks.

Austin ignores Dez's question. "I don't understand. If Lester and Penny hate _my parents_, then what do they have against _me_? What exactly did _I _do? _Nothing_! I didn't do a _damn thing _to them! They used to _love me to death _and now they just want me to _die_."

"Slow down there," Trish says. "They don't want you to die. They just hate your parents and are, for some reason, taking it out on you." When Austin doesn't reply, Trish sighs. "I'm gonna go over to Ally's house and see if I can figure out why they hate your parents so much, okay?" She turns to leave.

"Wait, Trish," Austin says. He takes about two minutes to scribble something down on a piece of paper. He folds it up. "Give this to Ally, please."

"Will do, Austin." She smiles and walks out of his room.

Trish walks to Ally's house and knocks on the door. Penny opens it. "Oh, hello, Trish. I'm sorry, but you can't come in. Ally's grounded."

"I'm grounded?!" Ally's voice floats down the stairs. Penny and Trish ignore her.

"Yeah, I figured. I was… out on my secret date with… um…" She tries to remember the name Ally came up with for Trish's fake secret boyfriend. "Um… Drew."

"I thought it was Dustin?" Penny asks.

"Nickname," Trish blurts out. "Anyway, I think I gave Ally the idea for a secret date with Austin and I wanted to make up for it. I'm gonna try to get her over Austin."

"You _are _her best friend… She might listen to you," Penny says. Trish nods. "Go on up."

Trish walks up to Ally's room and shuts the door behind her. Without a word, she takes Austin's note out of her pocket and hands it to Ally. Ally opens it up and looks down at it.

_Dear Ally,_

_I'm sorry. This is all my fault. I shouldn't have made you come to the park tonight. If I hadn't made you come, you wouldn't have gotten in trouble. I'd bet my favorite guitar that you're grounded. Maybe we shouldn't sneak around and just wait until Monday. Until school starts back. That way, you can't really get in trouble. Anyway, I love you. I'll see you Monday._

_Love, Austin_

"This isn't his fault," Ally says, shaking her head. "Why does he think that?"

"I don't know. If anything, it's Dez's fault. He's the one who suggested you guys go on a secret date," Trish says.

"It isn't anyone's fault!" She sighs. "It doesn't even matter. Austin and I being together is hopeless. I might as well just give up now.

"Don't worry, Ally. I have a plan."

**Ally's POV:**

"So, Mrs. Dawson, we have a question," Trish says as we walk down the stairs.

"What is it, sweetie?" my mom asks Trish.

"What's up with you, Mr. Dawson, and Austin's parents?" Trish asks.

"Oh, it's silly, really. I mean, I don't have that much of a problem with them. It's just Austin's parents who start all of the fights." She rolls her eyes. "Lester just got caught up in the fighting and now he doesn't like them very much either." She looks at me. "I actually don't mind you being with Austin, honey. I just didn't like the fact that you lied to me, that's all." She smiles softly.

"You can't convince Dad to let me date Austin?" I ask.

"Oh, even if I could, you'd have to get Austin's parents to agree to let you two date," Mom answers. "And that decision isn't up to me."

"You just leave that to me. Mrs. Dawson, talk to Mr. Dawson. Ally, come with me," Trish says, taking my hand and dragging me up the stairs.

"Wait, so you're not really here to talk Ally out of dating Austin?" Mimi asks. Trish rolls her eyes.

"Of course not." She doesn't slow her pace, though. We reach my room and she shuts the door behind me. She takes out her phone and dials a number. She puts it on speakerphone and it rings twice before someone picks up.

"_Orange?_" Dez answers.

"What the—?" Trish starts to ask, but seems to think better of it, "Never mind. Guess what, Dez."

"_Ooh! I love guessing games! Um… the world's gonna end in three days!_" Dez guesses.

"No," Trish says simply.

"_Uh… you got a new dog!_"

"Nope."

"_You were picked to be a main character in a big movie!_"

"That's not it."

"_Um… Ooh, I know! You have a plan to help Austin and Ally stay together!_"

"Bingo! Good job, Dez. Do you wanna help?" Trish asks.

"_Oh, do I!_" Dez exclaims. "_What can I do?_"

"Okay, is Austin nearby?"

"_Yeah, he's—_"

"_Is that Ally?!_" I hear Austin ask in the background.

My heart skips a beat and it takes me a second to catch my breath. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, Ally's here, too. Look, I need both of you for my plan to work. Well, I really only need Austin, but you can help, too, Dez."

"_Yay!_" Dez says excitedly and I can tell he has a huge smile on his face.

"What, are you just gonna get them to ask Mimi why our parents hate each other like we did with my mom? Then, if Mimi acts the same way my mom did, get her to talk to Mike about all of this?" I ask.

"Wow, Ally, you figured out my plan all by yourself. I'm so proud of you," Trish says, faking tears of joy. "Anyway, did you guys hear that?"

"_Yeah_," Austin and Dez say together.

"All right, cool. You idiots got it?"

"_Yup_," Austin and Dez say simultaneously. "_Hey!_"

Trish and I laugh. "Give us a call when you two are done, okay?"

"_Will do, Trish-a-roo._"

"Dez, Mindy may be able to call you 'Dezzy-roo', but that does _not _mean you can call me 'Trish-a-roo.' Got it? Good." She hangs up the phone and looks up at me. "I hope this works," she says to me.

I do, too…

**Sorry I haven't updated. No internet at my house right now and I JUST figured out that my grandpa had WiFi (I've been at his house for the past few days). Anyhoodles, I'm going to the beach and I know, for a fact, that there is no WiFi there. I mean, I can connect to some WiFi at the library, but I dunno how fast I'll write because it's, like, Spring break and I'ma be busy so... yeah... ANYHOODLES, have a good Spring break if you're having one right now! :D Review! :D Bye!**

**Update On The Update's Author's Note:**

**DISREGARD EVERYTHING I'VE WRITTEN ABOVE. Okay, I tried to upload this on Spring break, but I guess this didn't upload? oh, well. Anyway, I'm gonna upload this one then I'm gonna upload another one right after this. So, byee! :D**

**LoVe, KeNzIe**


	5. Chapter 5

**Austin's POV:**

Dez and I find my mom sitting in the living room, watching an old rerun of The Voice. We sit down on either side of her. She side-glances at me. "Hey, sweetie. Do you like this show?" she asks.

"Yeah, I love it," I reply.

"I think you should be on it. Don't you think that would be fun?" she asks with a smile.

For a moment, I'm distracted. That _would be_ pretty fun! I shake my head to clear the thought. "Mom, can I ask you something?"

"Of course you can, honey," she says, picking up the remote and turning the volume down.

"Um… what's the weather supposed to be like tomorrow?" I ask.

"I don't know… It might be warmish tomorrow?"

"Oh, okay. 'Cause…. I wanted to know if I could go to the beach tomorrow if it was warm," I lie.

"No, honey. You know that you're grounded. I've been nice this week since you had a week off from school, but that ends tomorrow," she says. "Dez, you can still stay the night if you'd like."

"Mom, it wasn't _my _fault I failed my grade! Mr. Hicks hated me last year! You know he failed me on purpose," I say, defending myself.

"No excuses. This is what you get for not studying," she says, a bit sternly.

"All right, Mom… Actually… um, the real thing I was wondering about was… um… uh… um… Oh, wait, you already answered my question about Dez. I guess that's everything. Come on, Dez." I smile weakly. He stares at me with such intensity that it actually scares. I sigh. "The truth is, I wanted to know why you and Dad hate Mr. and Mrs. Dawson."

"Oh, honey, I don't hate anyone… except those cheapskates," she says with a scowl. "Do you know that they tried to sell us this old, beat-up guitar last year for six hundred dollars? Hah! It wasn't even worth fifty!"

"So… you hate them, because they're cheap?" I ask.

"Oh, heavens no, dear. I don't even hate Lester. In fact, Lester is quite all right in my book. It's just that slut, Penny," she spits.

My eyes widen and my mouth drops open. I'd never heard her use a word like that. "Mom!" I yell.

"Oh, I'm sorry, sweetie. That language is inappropriate for virgin ears," she says, massaging my ear lobe for a moment.

Heh, 'virgin ears' my ass.

"Why do you think Mrs. Dawson is a… y'know…?" I ask.

"She… Well, in high school, she had sex with the whole football team. _Including _the coach!" she scoffs. "Hm, let's see. She stole half of my boyfriends. At least flirted with the other half. Hm, a rumor was even spread that she slept with our English teacher." She rolls her eyes.

"Okay… um, so you hate her, because she was more popular than you?" I ask.

"_Popular_? Why would you think she was _popular_?" she asks me.

"Well, that's how the popular girls in my school are," I answer.

She shakes her head. "She wasn't popular, I can tell you that. She was far from it. She always had her head in the clouds and her nose in a book! I honestly don't know how she got all those boys to like her," she tells me.

"Mom, lemme ask you something else. Did you _know_ that she slept with everybody? Like, was it a fact? Did she tell you herself?" I ask.

"Well… no, but… that's what everyone told me. And she never told anyone she _hadn't _done those things. Actually… I don't think I'd ever heard her speak in high school," she admits. "But still! Even the guys she '_supposedly_' slept with admitted she'd slept with them!"

"How do you know they weren't lying?" I ask.

"I… Well, I guess I don't… But she was flirting with your father. That's most of my reason for hating her," my mom says.

"She flirted with Dad?" I ask. I shiver. "Gross."

"Yeah, and it was that day we tried to buy that guitar, too! So we walked into Sonic Boom, right? And Lester greeted us politely and asked if we needed help finding anything. We said we didn't need any help and we started looking for a new guitar. But that's when the she-devil came over…" My mom's explanation was pretty bad so let me tell the gist of what happened.

Mrs. Dawson put her hand on my dad's shoulder and was trying to get them to buy the guitar. She didn't even notice my mom at first.

"Well, sir, if you're looking for a good quality guitar, you have certainly come to the right place! Now, let's see." She stepped away from my dad to get a better look at him. Then she reached forward and felt his muscles. "Wow! You've got some nice muscles, Mister! You need a big guitar to match those _bulging _muscles of yours!" According to my mom, Mrs. Dawson then winked at my dad.

She walked away and came back with an old acoustic guitar with only a few scratches on it, I'm sure. "This one's only six hundred dollars!" she said with a smile. "And I'm sure with a sexy smile like that, you've got that kind of money! I'm sure you've got tons of it!"

"Well, I _do _own Moon's Mattress Kingdom," my dad said, smiling.

"Oh, really? You have _the _best mattresses there! All of the beds in my house have mattresses from Moon's Mattress Kingdom! I even bought one of your futon mattresses for my couch! I also have one for the couch upstairs in my daughter's practice room! I've got 'em everywhere! God, I sleep like an angel every single night, thanks to you!" She grabbed his right hand in both of hers. "You, sir, have changed my life. Thank you." Then she patted my dad's chest, her hand grazing, my mom said, a little too long. Apparently, she also bit her lip sexually—you know, the way girls do—and batted her eyes at him.

"Now, would you like to make a purchase?" she asked finally.

"Yes!" my dad exclaimed.

"No!" my mom said simultaneously. She looked up at my dad. "We are _leaving_, Mike. And we're never coming back."

"Whoa, what's going on over here?" Lester asked, walking over.

"This _woman _is being rude to me by _flirting _with my husband!" Mom yelled.

"_Excuse _me?" Penny asked. "I wasn't _flirting _with _anyone_! _You're _the one who can't keep his hands off of her own husband!"

Then my mother said that she called Penny a liar and her and my dad stormed out of Sonic Boom. Now my mother has always been an honest woman and I've always trusted her judgment.

But this story is just odd. I feel like she just came down with Jealousy Syndrome and her imagination got the best of her. But, of course, I would never say something like that to her face. So I just smiled and nodded all throughout her story.

"Thanks for listening, Austin. I feel so much better after pouring that out to you. I haven't talked about it since it happened."

"When did it happen exactly?" I ask.

"About two years ago," she answers. "I was afraid you'd get bored while I was telling you and tell me that you weren't interested anymore. Thank you again, Austin."

"No, thank you, Mom," I say with a devious smile.

"For what, honey?" she asks. "Do you finally see what horrible people the Dawsons are? And did you realize that it's probably hereditary and that Ally is probably a horrible person, too?"

It feels as if my heart was just stabbed and left to bleed to death.

"Sure," I choke out. "Come on, Dez."

I'd just remembered he was there. He's asleep on my mom's left side on the couch. He snores in response to me saying his name. "Dez!" I shout.

"Huh? What?" He jerks awake.

"Let's go." I nod up toward my room and he follows me up there. "Okay, so Trish said to call her, right?"

"Right," Dez confirms. I find her number in Dez's Contacts and call her.

"How'd it go?" she asks when she picks up.

"Well, she told us why she hates Ally's parents. But she doesn't really hate _them_. She only hates _Penny_," I explain.

"My mom? How could she hate my mom? She's literally one of the most lovable people to ever exist," I hear Ally say in the background. My heart stops momentarily at the sound of her voice.

"Okay, so, why does she hate Penny?" Trish asks.

"She accused her of flirting with my dad once while trying to sell them an overpriced guitar," I say, rolling my eyes.

"'_Flirting_'?" Ally repeats then she bursts out laughing. "My mom can't flirt. She can't even be sexy with my dad. Believe me, I've seen her try." This brings on another round of giggles. Dez and Trish chime in.

"I didn't believe what my mom said. I thought that maybe she just imagined it, you know?" I ask.

"Yeah… well, ugh! Now I'll have to think up a new plan since your mom didn't act like Ally's." She pauses. "I'll call you two back when I think of a new plan." She hangs up.

"Well, what do you wanna do now?" Dez asks.

"I don't know. Get my mind off of Ally for right now, I guess," I answer.

"You wanna go play some Black Ops 2?" he asks.

I breathe in then breathe out, thinking. "Sure," I finally reply. We walk back downstairs. "Mom, I'm taking the PS3 up to my room for a little while." She nods at me, giving me her approval. I unhook it from the living room TV and hook it back up in my room.

"So where's the game?" Dez asks me.

"Uh… it's around here somewhere." I move around my room, searching for the game. Finally, I find it… under a pile of things Ally's written and drawn for me. I sigh and retrieve the game from under it. I throw it to Dez who's standing by my PS3 and he pops it in. He throws a wireless controller in my direction. I clumsily catch it.

He turns my PS3 on and flops down onto my bed. I slowly sit down beside him, my competitive side slowly revealing itself. When the game's starts screen comes up, I ask Dez what he wants to play.

He replies with the game he always wants to play: "Nuketown Zombies."

When Nuketown starts up, my competitive side comes all the way out. "I'm gonna kick your ass," I say. See, we never play as a team like we're supposed to. We just pay attention to see who gets the most kills. But if someone's down, we do revive the other.

"Not if I bury you first," Dez says.

I smile and the game starts. "Winner gets ten bucks?" I suggest. Let's make the game interesting.

"Deal."

"I can't believe you won."

"You know how competitive I can be when it comes to zombies."

"Double or nothing?" I ask.

"Oh, you're so on."

And so we begin again.

"Gah, I really suck at this game. Wanna make it thirty bucks?" I ask. I _have _to win.

"Are you sure you wanna do that?" Dez asks, somehow spinning his controller on his finger. "You do know that you spent all your money on that specially-made firework, right?"

"Yeah, I know… Come on, just one more game."

"All right, Austin. But if you lose this time, don't cry, okay?" Dez says, smirking.

I roll my eyes.

By morning, Dez and I have played a lot more games. The wager would now be fifty dollars if we played another game. We'd been increasing the wager by one dollar each game. I _have _to win this next game or I'll be in debt.

"All right, dude. Fifty dollars." I swallow. "Last game."

Dez sighs, shaking his head. "Austin, Austin, Austin, I really don't think you want you want to. You don't even have fifty dollars. And I know I'm your best friend, but if you lose this game, I _am _going to want that money."

I sigh, too, defeated, but quickly recover from my feeling of defeat and say, "I'm willing to take that chance.

"Well, you can give me the money whenever you get it, bro." Dez pats me on the back. "I gotta get home and let my dog outta my closet. See ya later."

He leaves my room. I can't believe I lost to Dez! I lost _fifty dollars _that I don't even _have _to _Dez_! I lean back on my bed. I guess I gotta get a job or something. I'll go to the mall after school on Monday and see about getting one. It's easy for Trish; why can't I do it?

**No POV:**

"Ally? Ally, wake up," Ally's mother says in her most soothing voice. Ally's eyes flash open.

_Oh, no_, she thinks. _Bad news._

Penny swallows. "Your dad wants to talk to you. It's about Austin…"

Ally glances onto her bed, at a snoring Trish, and sighs. She stands up and follows her mom to her parents' bedroom. Penny opens the door and Ally steps through. Their room is different from the last time she'd been in there.

The bed is gone and the two dressers are gone. The large desk from the study sits in the middle of the room. There's a large spinning chair behind the desk and a chair from the dining room in front of it.

"Um, Lester, Ally's here," Penny says from behind her. She shuts the door after that and it doesn't reopen.

The chair spins around to reveal Ally's dad sitting in it. He's wearing a tuxedo and stroking a stuffed kitten. He's drawn a mustache on his face and slicked back his hair. He also has a rose on his right side. "Welcome, my child. Sit," he says in an odd accent. He gestures to the chair opposite him. Ally hesitantly sits in the chair.

"Um, Dad, what's all this?" she asks, gesturing mostly to the stuffed kitten in his arms.

"Hush," he commands. Ally raises an eyebrow. He smiles goofily and says, "I wanted to be dramatic." The goofy smile disappears as quickly as it came. "We must speak about this… boyfriend of yours."

Ally's heart leaps at the sound of him calling Austin her boyfriend. Does that mean that Penny convinced him to let them date?

Ally sits up straight in her chair and strains her ear to make sure she doesn't miss a word. Lester sighs and shakes his head, still stroking the stuffed kitten.

"I'm sorry, sweetie." Ally's heart immediately drops. "Austin Moon comes from a long line of… _cheaters_," he spits. "For example, I caught Mike flirting with other women plenty of times. And he's married! And back when Mike and I were friends in high school, he told me that his parents had split up because of cheating. And so had his grandparents! Ha! De_spic_able." He shakes his head. "Penny and I were only trying to save you from getting your heart broken."

"Wait, you and Mike were friends in high school?" I ask.

"That's beside the point, my dear. The point is," Lester says then his voice softens, "Austin was raised to be a cheater. I'm sure Mike told him that it was okay to do things like that. I'm also sure that he's cheated before and I know, for a fact, he'll do it again."

Ally stiffens. It's true. Austin _has _cheated before. On a few girls, actually. He cheated on Lauren, Cassidy (she did come back for him like she promised), that girl she was dating when Megan came to do the interview for the magazine, he even cheated on Kira, a girl he really liked. Tears well up in her eyes. Ally looks up at her dad and realizes he's trying to look like the Godfather.

So she throws him a bone. "May I leave now, Godfather?" she asks, standing up.

Lester laughs giddily and clears his throat, cutting the laugh short. "What about Austin?"

Ally looks into her father's eyes, her own eyes burning with tears. "Already forgotten," she says.

"Yes, you may leave."

Ally turns around and leaves her parents' room. Penny steps across the hall as if she hadn't been listening. Once Ally steps out of the way of the door, Penny rushes inside and closes the door behind her.

That was a very bad Godfather impression her dad did, but Ally wasn't thinking about that right now. She walks to her room, willing herself not to cry. She sinks down onto her makeshift bed and goes to sleep so that she won't cry.

"What did you tell her?" Penny asks Lester. He drops the Godfather act, dropping the stuffed kitten onto the desk.

"The truth. I told her about how Austin's dad and his grandparents all cheated. And I told her that Austin had probably cheated before and that he'd probably cheat on her, too, if he'd had the chance," Lester replies.

Penny sits down. "I hate that it has to be this way. I really used to like Austin, but you're right. Mike was a cheater. His dad was a cheater. It's just the way it is, I guess. It's just the way it is."

**Austin's POV:**

Ally and Trish never called me back and it's already Monday. I have school today. Summer school. Ally helps the teachers who had to stay for the summer school program and so I should see her there. When I walk into the classroom, I don't see Ally at first.

Right when I sit down, she walks in and over to Mr. Hicks. "Good morning, Mr. Hicks, sorry I'm late. I couldn't find my book." For a second, I think she's talking about her songbook, but then she holds up _Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix_. A book she's read at least three times before. "Do you need me for anything yet?"

"Mm, you could help pass out these worksheets," Mr. Hicks replies. He hands Ally a stack of papers.

I look around the room to see how many people showed up for class today. I'm so bored that I actually count. Twenty six. It's a little sad to know that this many people failed Mr. Hicks's class last year.

And isn't it _shocking _to know that _every single one of them _claim that Mr. Hicks hated them and that he failed them on purpose? Sarcasm. It isn't shocking, because Mr. Hicks literally hated all of his students. He even told us that.

"_I hate each and every one of you_." He would say that at least three times a week every period. So is it really that hard to believe that I have summer school? No.

Ally passes by my desk, dropping a worksheet onto it. She doesn't even look me in the eye. I reach forward and tug on her shirt as she stops at the next desk. She doesn't seem to notice. I frown. "Thank you, Ally." Ally is the only one Mr. Hicks didn't hate. "That's all for now. If someone needs help though, you can help them."

"All right, Mr. Hicks." She smiles and sits down beside the teacher's desk in her designated chair.

"All of you are to do as much of this worksheet as you can. At the end of class, we'll all go over the answers. If you finish before then, bring your worksheet to Ally and she'll check your work," Mr. Hicks instructs us.

Ally smiles at everyone then picks up her book and starts reading, occasionally glancing up to see if anyone needs help. After about five minutes, a guy who sits a few seats behind me raises his hand and Ally comes over to help him. They walk to a table at the back of the room and they sit down.

They speak in hushed tones so as not to disturb anyone else. When they finish, they sit back down. I raise my hand. Ally sighs and puts down her book. We walk to the back table.

"Austin, you're smart. How do you not understand this?" she asks.

I ignore her question. "Why are you giving me the cold shoulder?" I ask.

She swallows and refuses to meet my eye. "I'm not."

"Yes… you are, actually. You won't even look at me," I say. She glances at me.

"Yes, I can. I just did."

I roll my eyes. "What's wrong?" I ask, trying to catch her eye.

She doesn't say anything for a few minutes. "You cheat. You've cheated. Your dad has cheated. Even your grandpa has cheated. You're bound to cheat on me sometime," she finally spits out.

"Ally, I would never cheat on you," I tell her. "I swear."

"Yeah. That's what you said to Kira," she says coldly.

"Ally…" I say. Someone else raises their hand, needing Ally's assistance. She clears her throat and stands up.

"Do you understand now, Austin?" she asks me, a little louder than was necessary. That was a loaded question.

"Shhh," Mr. Hicks says to Ally.

She stands up without waiting for my answer. She grabs her book from the front of the room and brings to the back table. On her way back, she taps on the boy who raised his hand's shoulder, whispering to him to come to the back table. I stand up and go to my seat.

Who drilled it into Ally's head that I would cheat on her?

**Hey, you guys. I'll probably be updating a lot less frequently, because I don't have any internet at my house right now. Long story short, Time Warner Cable is crap. I'm at the library right now, updating. Anyhoodles, review if you'd like :)**

**LoVe, KeNzIe**


	6. Chapter 6

Ally's POV:

After school, I race home, not wanting to get stopped by Austin. Instead, I stop myself. In the middle of the street.

What's wrong with me?

I know Austin won't cheat on me. Austin and I have been best friends for what seems like years. He'd never cheat on me. Not even for a million dollars. I drive the heel of my hand into my forehead. Idiot!

I turn around and almost run back to school, but again, I stop myself. It's no use. First of all, he's probably gone. And second of all, that still doesn't change a thing. I continue on my way home, stopping every once in a while to kick a rock.

When I get home, I immediately lock myself in my room. I grab my songbook and open it up, walking out onto the balcony. I sit on the banister and start spitting out song lyrics like there's no tomorrow.

_When something's pure..._

_How can people just say..._

_We're not meant to be?_

_And when something's true..._

_How can people just..._

_Keep me away from you?_

_Suddenly, I'm all alone, pushed away, from nothing wrong_

_Don't you have the guts to say, how you feel about me?_

_Out... of... the blue..._

_They said we couldn't be together..._

_I have to get over you..._

_We're given no choice, we have no voice_

_Out... of... the blue..._

My phone starts ringing and I pick it up, wishing it's, but already knowing it isn't, Austin. "Hello?" I answer.

"Hey. Ally?" Trish asks.

"Yeah, what?" I ask.

"You talked to Austin?" she asks.

I blush, a little embarrassed by the way I treated him. "Yeah..." I answer.

"And? What'd he say about talking to his mom? I never called them to ask," she tells me.

"We didn't, uh, we didn't talk about that..." I take a fistful of my hair and shove it into my mouth.

"Come on, Ally, you've got to be kidding me!" she yells into her phone. "That was the whole plan! I need his input! Call me when you've talked to him." She hangs up. I walk inside and sit down at my desk, continuing my song.

_Can't even call... on the telephone..._

_Don't even know... if you're at home..._

_But to control... just how we feel..._

_Is between you and I..._

_Not for one to steal..._

_Suddenly, I'm all alone, pushed away, from nothing wrong_

_Don't you have the guts to say, how you feel about me?_

_Out... of... the blue..._

_They said we couldn't be together..._

_I have to get over you..._

_We're given no choice, we have no voice..._

_Just wanna hear what you've got to say..._

_Are you feelin' the same?_

_'Cause I'm not okay..._

_Thought when we met, there was somethin' more_

_But the others said no..._

_They shut the door..._

_Out... of... the blue..._

_They said we couldn't be together..._

_I have to get over you..._

_We're given no choice, we have no voice..._

_Out... of... the blue..._

_We knew we should've been together_

_Don't wanna get over you..._

_When love makes the choice..._

_It has a voice..._

_Out... of... the blue..._

I hear little taps on my balcony door. I whip my head around to look at it. I hadn't realized it had gotten dark until now. A pebble flies up and hits the door. The only light is coming from my balcony light and it spills a dim glow onto the sidewalk pavement. But I still only see a figure. Rain begins to pour down from the sky.

I walk outside. "Who's there?" I call, squinting to see.

"Don't talk. Just listen," someone says. A familiar someone. I blink but don't say anything. Austin steps onto the sidewalk, an acoustic guitar in hand. I can't help but smile. He starts to play. "I wrote this for you," he adds. "All by myself. Maybe now you'll know that I truly love you. And I would never cheat on you, baby. Ever."

_Check yes, Juliet, are you with me?_

_Rain is falling down on the sidewalk_

_I won't go until you come outside_

_Check yes, Juliet, kill the limbo_

_I'll keep tossing rocks at your window_

_There's no turning back for us tonight_

_Lace up your shoes_

_Ay, oh, ay, oh-ohhh_

_Here's how we do_

_Run, baby, run_

_Don't ever look back_

_They'll tear us apart, if..._

_You give them the chance_

_Don't sell your heart_

_Don't say... we're not... meant to be_

_Run, baby, run_

_Forever will be... you and me_

_Check yes, Juliet, I'll be waiting_

_Wishing, wanting, yours for the taking_

_Just sneak out, and don't tell a soul goodbye..._

_And check yes, Juliet, here's the countdown_

_Three, two, one, you'll fall in my arms now_

_They can change the locks_

_Don't let them change your mind_

_Lace up your shoes_

_Ay, oh, ay, oh-ohhh_

_Here's how we do_

_Run, baby, run_

_Don't ever look back_

_They'll tear us apart, if..._

_You give them the chance_

_Don't sell your heart_

_Don't say we're not to be_

_Run, baby, run_

_Forever will be... you and me_

_We're flying through the night, we're flying the night_

_Way up high..._

_The view from here is getting better_

_With you by my side..._

_Run, baby, run_

_Don't ever look back_

_They'll tear us apart, if..._

_You give them the chance..._

_Don't sell your heart_

_Don't say... we're not meant to be_

_Run, baby, run_

_Forever will be... you and me..._

_You and me..._

_You and me..._

I almost cry. That was amazing. I run into my room and lock the door. I pull on my sneakers and walk back out onto the balcony. As I jump down, Austin sets down his guitar and runs. He catches me and we both fall. I lie there on top of him, staring down into his eyes. "I loved your song," I whisper to him.

"And I love all of yours. And you," he replies and he kisses me. After a while, I pull away in a daze.

"This is so corny," I say. He just smiles.

"What do you mean?"

"Kissing in the rain. It comes straight out of a love story," I tell him, smiling back.

"Well, let's make our own corny love story, then," he says and pecks my lips.

"Okay," I agree.

"Come on," he says. He stands up and leads me across my yard. He picks up his guitar and we set off into town.

"Where are we going?" I ask with a joking roll of my eyes.

"You'll see," he says, a wide grin on his face.

"Oh, Lord," I say and follow him. He leads me to the mall, to Sonic Boom. He motions for me not to say anything and he helps me climb onto the roof. Austin sets his guitar down up here. From there, we climb onto the higher roof of the next building. "Austin, what are you planning?" I ask, afraid.

"Do you trust me?" he suddenly asks.

I stare at him. "Of course." The next thing he does is unexpected: He practically pushes me off of the roof, but leaves me hanging off the edge. I stifle a scream as he pushes his body up against my waist to keep me in place. He leans off the edge and hovers over me.

"You still trust me?" he asks.

I nod. "I always will." When he's touching me in any way, I feel safer than I've ever felt in my entire life.

"Is this corny?" he asks, motioning to my body which is still hanging off the roof of the building. "Has this been done before?"

"Possibly, but not that I know of," I tell him. He smiles triumphantly, leans down further, and kisses me.

"I love you," he says when he pulls away. "I love you."

"I love you too," I reply, and wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him down and kissing him. He pulls away and the rain hits my face. I stand up straight and sniff.

"Smell something good?" Austin asks me, laughing a little.

"Yeah," I say with a smile. "Rain."

My arms are still wrapped around Austin's neck; he wraps his around my waist. He starts to lean down to kiss me again but stops.

"What's wrong?" I ask him.

Austin grins. "You're too short," he tells me. I roll my eyes, having heard that so many times before. He lifts me up, prompting me to fasten my legs around him. "This is much better," he informs me.

This time, Austin kisses me with so much passion and hunger that I tangle my fingers into his hair, trapping his head so that he can't ever pull away from me unless I allow him to. But he doesn't seem to want to so I shouldn't have to worry about that. He carries me down to the Sonic Boom roof, carefully sliding down onto it. He doesn't even notice his guitar as he passes it and climbs down to the mall floor without once breaking our kiss. He finds the key under the mat and unlocks Sonic Boom.

Austin carries me up to the practice room and shuts the door behind us. He lays me down on the couch and climbs on top of me. He kisses my neck, then my shoulder, and brushes his lips across my chest quickly before coming back to meet my lips.

* * *

When I wake up, I notice I slept on my stomach. I look on the floor and see... my clothes... right beside Austin's. All I'm wearing right now is my underwear. I see that Austin's boxers are missing from the messy pile of clothes on the floor and I suspect he's wearing those. I look down and see that my head wasn't resting on the couch but on Austin's chest. I gasp, the memories of last night rushing back to me.

I breathe in and out, in and out, in and out... which is exactly what Austin was doing last night, in a sense. I drop down onto the floor, straighten myself up, and scramble across the room, covering my bare chest with my hands. By that time, Austin has woken up. He looks over me, his eyes traveling my body, before looking up into my eyes. "Well, good morning, Beautiful," he says, smiling.

The smile disappears quickly as he looks down and realizes that we're both naked. His eyes widen. "Oh... my... God... Did we do what I _think_ we did?" he asks, breathing as heavily as I am. I nod.

"I—I think so..." I say, swallowing.

He closes his eyes and his breathing slows. "I remember..." he whispers. "Damn, you were amazing."

I blush. "Thanks. You were too," I tell him. I shake my head, snapping myself back to reality. "What are we gonna do?!" I ask him. "My dad is going to kill you!"

"No..." he says. "He won't."

"What makes you think that?" I ask him.

"He can't kill me... if he doesn't know what we did," Austin explains. "If I can get you back to your house in time before they wake up and notice you're gone, they won't suspect a thing!"

"You're right," I breathe. I run over to him and quickly put my clothes back onto my body. Austin does the same. Austin pulls his shirt over his head as we run out the door, down the stairs, and out into the mall.

"Come on. If we go through the woods, we'll get there faster," Austin tells me, trying to pull me in the direction of the forest.

I shake my head. "No. There are... creatures in the forest," I say.

He kisses my cheek. "I thought you trusted me..." he says. "I'll keep you safe, I swear. Come on, do you trust me or not?"

I take a deep breath. "I do." He pulls me into the woods and we run through them, Austin taking long strides and me taking short, quick strides to keep up with him. We come out on the road I live on and we run down the street. "I'll see you later," I promise, kissing his lips gently before climbing up onto the balcony. "Don't forget to grab your guitar. It's on top of Sonic Boom."

"I won't. I love you," he whispers.

"I love you too," I whisper back and he takes off running, faster than a bullet. I run inside, unlock my door so my parents won't get suspicious, and dive into bed, pulling the covers up over my head and trying to slow my breathing. My parents burst into my room.

"See?" my mom says. "I told you she didn't sneak out last night. I told you that you didn't hear Austin outside last night. She's right there in bed, Lester."

"All right, all right. You were right, I admit it," Dad replies. "I just have this weird feeling that she left the house last night..."

_If you had bet a million dollars on that, Dad_, I think, _you'd be a million dollars richer right now._

**Sorry I haven't been updating, my lovelies! I hope you're still here! :/ Like I said, I don't have any Internet, but I think I'm going to the beach soon so I should have Internet down there and I'll try to update more frequently. I'm afraid I can't promise anything though. I will try though, I can promise you that. Okay, then I just lied. I said I couldn't promise ANYTHING, but I could promise that... What's wrong with my brain...? Anyway, have a good day/night and I will hopefully let you read more soon :)**

_**LoVe, KeNzIe**_

**P.S. Thank you to JoeyJar99 for suggesting the song ****_Out of the Blue_**** by Aly & AJ. When I first started this story, I searched to the moon and back for a song that described this story and came up with nothing, ****_nothing!_**** And I remembered this song after you mentioned it and I literally smacked myself in the head. I was like, ****_Duh, Kenzie, that song is perfect for this story! Thank you, JoeyJar99!_**** Anyhoodles, thank you again for the suggestion of the song :D and awww, I hope you feel better :(**


	7. Chapter 7

"Fine," my mom sighs. "Then let's ask her. Ally, sweetie, wake up."

I open my eyes but make them droop so it'll look like I was asleep. "Huh?" I mumble. I rub my eyes.

"Your father is convinced that Austin was here at our house last night. Since we all know that you never, ever lie, would you please tell your dad that Austin was not here last night?" my mom asks.

I stifle a sigh. Did she really have to put that "you never, ever lie" part in there? Now I just feel bad. I yawn. "Mom, Dad, I'm really tired. Can we talk about this in the morning?" I ask.

That wasn't necessarily a lie. I mean, Austin and I were... up for most of the night. I feel like I only got an hour of sleep.

"It _is_ morning," my dad says.

"Then can we talk about this in... say, two or three hours?" I yawn and rub my eyes at the same time.

"Why are you so tired?" my dad asks, raising an eyebrow. "You always go to sleep on time..."

"I was working on a song last night," I tell them. I don't add any details. It's true, I was working on a song last night; that isn't the reason I'm tired though.

"Okay, Ally, we'll talk to you in a few hours," Mom says. I smile.

"Thanks." They leave my room and I turn over and fall asleep.

* * *

"Ally!" My eyes flash open.

"What?" I ask, my eyes still adjusting. I rub the sleep out of them.

"Have you talked to Austin yet?" someone asks.

Trish.

"Um..." I roll over and glance at my door. It's open. I point at it. "Close it," I mouth to Trish. After she does so, I take a deep breath. "Trish, we're best friends. There's something I need to tell you..."

"What? What is it?" she asks me.

"I... Austin and I... Austin and I did something... Something that... Something I'm not sure if I'm proud of..." I mumble.

A look of confusion crosses Trish's face before her mouth widens into an open-mouthed grin. "You _didn't!_"

I nod sheepishly. "We did."

"When?" she asks me.

"Last night," I tell her.

"Wait, you did—_it_—right here?" she asks, standing up and pointing to my bed.

I shake my head quickly. "No! No, we, um, we did it in Sonic Boom... in the practice room," I say.

She looks disgusted for a moment before she starts crying. "Awww! You did the thing in the place where you two do the things you love!" she exclaims and I realize that those tears are tears of joy. "That's so romantic!"

"Yeah, I guess I'm glad that I did it with him and not someone else. I probably wouldn't have gone through with it if I hadn't loved him," I tell her. She grabs my hands and bounces up and down on my bed, practically sobbing now.

Suddenly, she stops. "Ally..." she says, staring past me, terror etched on her face. "Did you use... protection?"

My eyes widen. "I—I don't know, Trish. Austin... I think he would've..." I grab Trish's shoulders and shake them. "I don't know, Trish! I don't know! I can't remember!"

"Did you... look down afterwards?" she asks awkwardly.

"He was wearing boxers," I tell her.

An evil grin appears on her face. "I have an idea." She glances at the door then leans toward me and whispers her plan in my ear.

"That's crazy... So crazy it just might work!" I exclaim. She gives me a look. "Sorry, I've always wanted to say that..."

**Austin's POV:**

"So where did it happen?" Dez asks me.

"In the practice room," I tell him. I fold my hands behind my head and continue looking up at the ceiling. "I kind of feel bad though. I mean, I know how she wanted to wait until marriage and stuff... What if she hates me now? I made her break one of her own rules. But she seemed pretty happy when I took her home..."

"Well, Trish told me she was going over to Ally's house. I'll call her and ask her to ask Ally if she's happy with what you and her did," Dez says. I nod and he takes out his phone and puts it on speaker phone.

"Hello?" Trish answers her phone.

Dez puts on what I call his Therapist Voice. "Hi, Trish. It's Dez. I'm just calling because, well, Austin feels bad about making Ally do what she did. Wait, she told you about that, right?"

"Yes, Dez. Ally tells me everything. Get on with it," Trish says.

"Anyway, like I said, Austin feels bad and we were wondering...: is Ally happy? Like, is she okay with breaking one of her rules?" Dez asks Trish. I sit up on my bed and lean toward Dez to make sure I can hear Trish.

"Ally, you were happy, right?" Trish asks.

"Yeah..." Ally says and I smile, hearing the shy smile on her face.

"All right, cool. Bye," Dez says.

"Wait, Dez! We need to know if Austin—" Dez hangs up, cutting Trish off.

"See, Austin? Everything's fine," he says. I just sigh, lying back down, putting my hands behind my head, and staring up at the ceiling. "Geez, Debbie Downer, what's wrong now?" Dez asks, his regular voice back.

"Dez, everything's not fine," I tell him, shaking my head. "Everything's... fuzzy."

"What do you mean?" Therapist Dez asks.

"It's fuzzy. I can't remember if... if I wore anything," I say.

"Well..." Dez says, twisting his lips to the side, "I'm not a Sex Expert, but... I don't think you're supposed to wear anything..."

"You're not supposed to wear anything, Dez, you're right. You're not supposed to wear clothes though. There's one thing you should always wear though." I take a deep breath.

"What's that, buddy?" Dez asks me.

"A condom."

"You didn't wear one?!" Dez asks, hitting me in the stomach. "What's wrong with you, bro?"

"I don't know if I wore one!" I yell at him. "It's not that I didn't! It's just that I don't know if I did."

"How do you not remember?!" Dez shouts.

"Don't scream at me!" I blink and shake my head. "Any theories?"

"Well, I heard that people don't like wearing those thingamajigs 'cause their annoying. So maybe, as soon as you two were done, you took it off?" Dez suggests. I sit up.

"That sounds good. You know what we have to do now, right?" I ask. "We gotta go back to the scene of the crime."

"Dude. You already felt bad about it. Let's not call it a crime," Dez says, therapist-like.

"Good idea. Come on." I grab my jacket and we go to Sonic Boom. We walk through the door and I see Lester standing at the counter.

"Austin." He stares me down, barely even noticing Dez's existence. "What are you doing here?"

"Um... well, I forgot something. Up in the practice room," I tell him.

"It better be something from when you two were dating," Lester says. "And not something from... last night." He looks me up and down. Wait, does he know...? "Otherwise..." He uses his finger to pretend he's cutting his throat open.

"Oh, don't worry. It's something from when we were dating," I promise him. "We technically never stopped," I add silently. Dez and I walk up to the practice room.

"All right, we need to search the whole practice room. You look in the trash can first. I'll check the couch," I instruct.

"Awww, man. I wanted to check the couch," Dez whines. I raise an eyebrow at him. He glances at me then at the couch then tries not to gag. "Never mind. I've always loved trash cans more than couches." He walks over and practically shoves his head into the trash can.

I take the cushions out of the couch and search it. Then I lift the couch and look under it. I walk all the way around the couch. Nothing.

I squeeze my eyes shut and think. If I were Austin, where would I throw my condom after having sex with Ally? Wait... first of all, I am Austin. And second of all, ew. That doesn't sound right at all. Let me try again.

If I were a condom, where would I be? That sounds slightly better. But if I were a condom, wouldn't I be on a—

Of course!

I unbuckle my belt, unbutton my pants, and unzip them. I grab the waist of my jeans and pull it away from me.

"Dude, what are you doing?" Dez asks me.

"What if I never took it off?" I ask. "What if it's still on my... you know?" I look down as the door opens.

"Austin, what exactly are you doing?" Lester asks me.

"Um... what are you doing, Mr. Dawson?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

Lester rubs his eyes and shakes his head. "Just—just get out, Austin," he tells me, still rubbing his eyes.

"Yes, sir," I say. I zip, button, buckle, and walk out of the practice room.

"Wait, Austin, what about the condom?" Dez asks. I stop, squeeze my eyes shut, and take a deep breath. _So. Close._

"Condom?" Lester asks, and I can actually hear his face turning red with anger. Next thing I know, Lester has spun me around and is pushing me up against the railing. "Austin Moon, you had _sex_ with my daughter?!" he shouts me.

"No, no, no!" I say quickly. "This is a misunderstanding! When Dez said 'condom,' he meant... condominium! Yeah, condominium."

Lester doesn't buy it. "You—you—you—you—" He takes a very deep breath. "Get out of my store. Get out of my sight. Don't ever speak to my little girl again or you're gonna get it. Got it?"

I nod, my eyes wide with fear. "G-Got it. Y-Yes, sir," I stammer. "C-Come on, Dez!" We run out of the store and to the entrance of the mall. After we catch our breath, I punch Dez in the gut so hard that he falls to the ground. "'_What about the condom_'?! Dez, are you crazy?!" I ask.

But he just grins. "I just wanted to remind you about it," he tells me. "Didn't want you to forget."

"Thanks for reminding me, Dez," I say with a smile before shouting, "you almost got me killed!"

"You're welcome," Dez says, still grinning.

I bury my face in my hands. "Dez, just... go talk to Trish and Ally. I never told them about what my mom said. Trish's plan won't work without the information we got," I say.

"Okay," Dez says.

_Dez's POV:_

"Hey, Mrs. Dawson," I say, smiling, "I'm here to see Ally. And Trish if she's here."

"When is she not here?" she replies, stepping back to let me inside. I walk up to Ally's room and knock on the door.

"Uh, hold on, Mom," Ally says. I hear things rustling around. "Come in." I open the door and walk inside. Ally and Trish are suspiciously sitting on a pillow in the middle of the floor. "Oh. Hey, Dez. What are you doing here?"

"I came to tell you what we found out from Austin's mom," I tell them. "What's with the suspicious sitting?" Trish stands up, pulls me all the way inside the room, and shuts the door behind me.

"Forget my old plan. I've got a new one," Trish says.

"What's the new one?" I ask. They move the pillow and I see a pregnancy test resting beneath it. "Wait, Ally's pregnant?"

"No, of course not," Ally says. "But we're gonna mess with the test so that it comes up positive. Then my parents will have to let me marry Austin. It's the right thing to do when a girl gets pregnant. When she gets pregnant, you marry her."

"Trish, you come up with the best plans ever," I say. "And Mr. Dawson already knows about what happened, so that's out of the way." I grin.

"What?!" Ally asks. "What do you mean, my dad already knows?!"

"Oh! Well, Austin was upset because he didn't no whether or not he wore a condom. So we went to Sonic Boom to look around the practice room," I explain. "Mr. Dawson came up and we were about to leave but I reminded Austin of the whole reason we went there. And Mr. Dawson was all, 'Condom?! You had sex with my daughter?! Get outta my store!" I said the last part in a gruff, deep voice, my impersonation of Mr. Dawson.

"Okay, um, we were gonna tell Penny first so that she could tell Lester and he wouldn't be as mad... but I guess this works too," Trish says.

"But what are you going to do when, in nine months, there's no baby to squeeze out of your—"

"We're gonna say I had a miscarriage," Ally tells me.

"That's a pretty smart plan," I say. "Do you want me to let Austin in on it?"

"No!" Trish says quickly. "You can't tell Austin about our plan. All you can tell him is that Ally is pregnant. Okay?"

"Can you get pregnant after only a day though?" I ask. "Will Austin believe that?"

"Please," Trish scoffs, "he believed that babies came out of a woman's belly button until he was fourteen. I think we can make him believe that Ally got pregnant after a day."

"All right, I'm gonna go tell Austin that Ally's pregnant," I say.

**Ally's POV:**

"So what do we do for now?" I ask after Dez races out of my room, down the stairs, and out the front door.

"I guess we just wait until your dad comes home so that we can tell him you're pregnant," Trish tells me.

"Do you think you could tell Dad?" I ask slowly. "I'm not sure if I could lie to him..."

Trish sighs. "You're gonna have to learn to lie to him someday," she says. "But, just this time, I'll lie for you."

"Thanks, Trish," I say with a smile.

"But you owe me," she says, returning the smile with a devious touch to it.

I roll my eyes. "All right, whatever."

Someone knocks on my door. Bracing myself to face Dad, I say, "C-Come in."

"Your dad says he wants to speak with you and that he'll be home in a few minutes," my mom says after opening my door.

I give a sigh of relief at seeing my mom instead of my dad. "Oh... Okay... Thanks for telling me, Mom," I reply.

"Do you know what exactly he wants to talk about?" she asks me worriedly. "He sounded... erm... very angry."

I shrug. "I guess we'll know when he gets here," I tell her.

She nods. "I guess we will," she says. She starts to say something else, then seems to think better of it and leaves my room.

"God, I thought that was my dad," I admit to Trish.

"What do you think he's gonna do to you?" she asks me.

I shake my head and shrug. "I have no idea," I say.

"It doesn't matter. I mean, he can't hurt you. So the most he can do is take away your books," she assures me with a roll of her eyes.

My eyes widen. "I need to hide my books!" I exclaim worriedly.

I grab my suitcase out of my closet and begin pushing my books off of the shelf and into the suitcase. I pull as many books as I can out from under my bed and throw them into the suitcase. I find an overnight bag in my closet too and throw the books from my desk drawers into it.

"Trish!" I shout then I remember she's right behind me. "Oh, sorry. Anyway, take this to your house. I'll come over anytime I want to read. Until I'm ungrounded, don't tell anyone they're there!"

"Ally—" Trish starts with a roll of her eyes but the sound of the doorbell ringing cuts her off. "That was fast," she says.

"D-Do you really think it's...?" I ask.

She sighs. "Only one way to find out," she says.

"I've got it, Mom!" I shout into the house as Trish and I race down the stairs. I take a deep breath as I stop in front of the front door. I exhale it deeply as well. Suddenly, the person on the other side of the door starts beating on it with such force that it sounds like thunder. I jump backwards. "Okay," I breathe. I put my hand on the doorknob, turn it, and pull the door open. My heart stops at the sight of what's on the other side.

**So I got my Internet back... yay! :D But I lost half of my stories on due to not resaving them & resetting their life... no! D:**

**...**

**Screw.**

**My.**

**Life.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :D Have a better day than mine! :) Don't worry, it's not that hard.**

**LoVe, KeNzIe**


	8. Chapter 8

Austin is kneeling on one knee. "Austin... What are you doing?" I ask breathlessly.

"Dez told me," he says simply. "Is there really a... you know... in there?"

I open my mouth to answer but no words come out. "Yeah," Trish answers for me. "Don't mind Ally. She's just kind of in shock."

Austin takes my hand and kisses it. "Ally, at the thought of a... baby," his voice cracks on the word, "most guys would move to a different country. But _I _love you, Ally. With all of my heart. And I want to be there to raise my child. I know your dad won't like it but it's the right thing to do. Allyson Marie Dawson, will you—?"

"Austin!" I hear my dad shout. I look behind Austin and see my bound running toward us at full speed. I've never seen him run so fast... I grab Austin's hand and yank him inside. I firmly plant myself in the doorway, not allowing my dad to get to Austin.

"_Stop!_" I shout loudly. Dad stops.

"What is Austin doing here?" my dad asks.

"I'm here to ask your daughter to marry me," Austin says.

"Excuse me?" Dad asks.

"When a girl gets pregnant, you—" Austin starts but my dad cuts him off.

"Hold on," Dad interrupts. "Did you just say... _pregnant_?" I take out the pregnancy test, the one we tampered with. I hold it out to him. He takes it and stares at it. "Honey," he says, "I can't say that I'm proud you passed this test. I also can't say that I'm proud Austin's the father. The last thing I can't say... is that I don't want Austin to be able to be around his own child."

"Are you saying...?" I start.

"Yes," Dad says. "I give you my blessing to continue dating. Austin came over here to ask you to marry him because you're pregnant. That proves that he really loves you... and that he's nothing like his cheating father. I don't want you to get married though yet. That would mean that my little girl is grown up. That's why I freaked out over the fact that you two have had... you know... Grown ups do that. I guess I just have to accept that you've grown up. That you aren't my little girl anymore..."

I hug him. "Dad," I say, "I'll always be your little girl."

"I just wish you weren't pregnant," Dad says quietly. "Austin's proven his love. I'd still allow you two to be together even if you weren't pregnant."

I look to Trish, begging her to let me tell him. She gives in after a few seconds and nods."I'm... I'm not really pregnant," I blurt out. Austin's eyes widen.

"What?!" Dad says. "Oh, thank God. Wait, so Austin didn't really just prove his love... This was all just..."

"No, Mr. Dawson. Austin not knowing was part of the plan. We wanted to know whether or not he was really in love with Ally too. Well, Ally didn't but, being her best friend, I had to make sure. Up until now, Austin thought that Ally was pregnant. So Mr. Dawson, Austin really is in love with your daughter. You should let them be together," Trish says.

"Austin..." Dad says. I'm afraid of what's going to happen. Suddenly, my dad reaches out and shakes Austin's hand warmly. "Welcome to the family. I look forward to having you as my son-in-law someday. Someday in the _distant_ future, mind you."

"What about my parents, sir?" Austin asks.

"Make reservations at that fancy restaurant we went to. Let's try this dinner date again," my dad says. "Don't tell them we'll be there though. Just tell them you want to treat them to dinner, and that you're paying and they have nothing to worry about."

"Yes, sir," Austin says and he leaves my house. A moment later, he comes back in and kisses my cheek. "See you tonight, Ally."

He leaves. I hug my dad again. "Thanks, Dad. I knew you'd see that Austin and I are right for each other.

"Don't be hugging me yet. We still have to convince Austin's parents that you two are right for each other," Dad says. "Penny, honey, get your favorite dress on! We're going out for dinner tonight."

**Austin's POV:**

"Moon reservation," I say to the waiter.

"Party of seven, your table awaits," he replies.

"Seven?" Mom asks.

"But there are only three of us," Dad points out.

I slip the waiter a twenty dollar bill. "Don't say anything about the extra guests," I whisper to him. "They are a surprise."

He pockets the money in an inside pocket of his vest. "My mistake," the waiter says. "The..." he glances at his book of reservations, "_Morrisons_ have seven people in their party. Moon has three. Right this way." He leads us to a large table that would seat about eight people. "Sorry the table is so large. This is the only open one at the moment." He didn't even have to lie about that. The restaurant is packed. This is literally the only table we could sit at.

"Thank you," my mom says as the waiter hands us a few menus. I glance at my watch. Ally and her parents should be here soon. "It was sweet of you to take us out for dinner," she says.

"Mhm," I says, looking over my menu.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with... Ally, would it?" Dad asks.

"Um..." I glance at the door. No Dawsons. "What are you guys thinking about ordering? I think this steak looks pretty good," I say.

"Austin..." Mom says warningly.

"What? I'm not lying!" I exclaim. "This steak looks awesome! Look!" I show the picture of the steak.

My mom licks her lips. "Mm, I think I'll order that."

"Mimi! That isn't the point!" my dad says. He glances at it."Ooh, it does look pretty good." He shakes his head. "No, Mimi, Austin's hiding some—"

"Right this way," the waiter says. I look up and see Ally walking toward us. She smiles at me. I smile back. Behind her is her family.

"Mom, Dad, you love me, right?" I ask quickly. They nod. "Okay, if you love me, you won't freak out on, or yell at, the Dawsons."

My dad sighs. "Fine," he says as they arrive at our table. My mom smiles and stands.

"Good evening," she says as she shakes their hands.

"Evening," Mr. and Mrs. Dawson say.

"Hey, Mimi, Ally says with a smile as she gives my mom a quick hug. She then sits down beside me and I hold her hand under the table. Mr. and Mrs. Dawson sit beside her and, since we're at a rounded table, they end up sitting across from my parents. My dad opens his mouth to say something but my mom cuts him off.

"Let's eat first," she says quickly. So we do. After we finish the food, we sit at the table in silence for a little while.

"So," my dad says, "let's get this over with."

"Yes, well, you know why we're here," Penny says.

Dad nods. "You want my son to date your daughter," he says.

"We think it's stupid that our petty rivalry gets in the way of their relationship," Lester says.

"It isn't a petty rivalry!" my dad says. "You ruined my life!"

"I did?" Lester asks.

"You were the most popular boy in school," Dad explains. "Every time a girl came _close_ to liking me, you stood up and you were all she saw."

"_My_ dad was the popular one?" Ally whispers to me.

"But I let you have the head cheerleader!" Lester says. "Wasn't that enough?"

"No! Because she's the only one I've ever been with!" my dad yells. A few people in the restaurant turn to look at us.

"Yeah? Well, I got stuck with this nerd!" Lester exclaims.

"What, I'm not enough for you?" Mom asks.

"You got _stuck_ with me? Well, if you don't want me, then why didn't you just say so?" Penny asks. My mom and Penny stand up to storm out.

"That isn't what I meant!" my dad exclaims, trying to hug my mom.

"Penny, sweetheart, I was just trying to make him feel better so that he'd let my daughter be happy with Austin!" Lester says.

I stand up, pulling Ally up with me by her hand. "_Wait!_" I scream. Everyone in the restaurant looks at me, including our families. "What about us?" I ask, gesturing to Ally and I.

"All I want is an apology," my dad says firmly.

"I'm not apolo—!" Lester starts to exclaim, but Penny punches him in the stomach.

"It's the least you can do for our daughter," she spits.

I look over at Ally and see that she's giving Lester her best puppy dog eyes. Lester completely melts. He sighs. "Mike, I'm sorry for messing up your game in high school," Lester says. My dad smiles, nods as if that's his acceptance of Lester's apology, and turns to Ally and I.

"Austin, Ally, I give you my permission to be together," he says. He smiles at Ally. "I look forward to having you as my daughter-in-law someday."

Ally blushes as she glances at me. She rests her head on my shoulder. "I love you," she says to me. Our parents walk off, each woman arguing with their spouse and each man apologizing to their spouse.

"I love you, too," I reply. "What do we do about our parents?"

"They'll work it out themselves," Ally says. "But what do we do now?"

"I have an idea," I say with a smirk.

**Ally's POV:**

We stand in the practice room of Sonic Boom, our clothes in a pile on the other side of the room. "Austin, I don't want to do this," I say worriedly. "Not again. Not until after we're married."

"Then why'd you take your clothes off?" Austin asks me.

I shrug. "I dunno. I was excited about being allowed to be together. I was willing to do just about anything. But I don't want to do this!" I say, beginning to cry.

"Ally, don't cry," Austin says. "I was just kidding. I'm not going to make you have sex with me again."

"Good. Can we put our clothes back on now?" I ask.

Austin shakes his head. "No. I wasn't thinking about having sex in the first place," he promises me.

I raise an eyebrow. "Then what are we doing?" I ask him.

He grins as he pulls out a permanent marker from the drawer beside the fridge. "I'm just giving you a few tattoos."

"Austin, I don't feel comfortable standing here naked," I say.

"All right, fine. Get your bikini on," he tells me.

"I don't own a bikini," I admit.

"How—? Never mind," he says. "I'll go get you one." He pulls on his jeans and shirt.

"Not too small!" I call as he leaves the room. I stand in the middle of the practice room, covering myself, waiting. After a few minutes, I feel something hit the back of my head.

"Tell me when you've got that on," Austin says through the door. I pick up the thing that wa thrown at my head. A red bikini.

I pull it on quickly and open the door for Austin. "Why does it have to be a bikini? I have a perfectly good—"

"It has to be a bikini," he cuts me off. "Now..." He pulls off his jeans and pulls on his swim trunks. He picks up the marker again and drops to his knees.

"What kind of tattoos are you giving me?" I ask. He grins and starts writing on my stomach.

I start to crane my neck so I can see. "You can't look until I'm done," he says. I roll my eyes and stare at the ceiling until he's done. "Okay, go look in the mirror," he says finally. I walk over to it and glance at my body. On my stomach and thighs, he's written, "THIS BELONGS TO AUSTIN MOON" and drawn an arrow pointing to my... "Your turn," he says, appearing behind me. He hands me the marker.

"I have to do the same thing?" I ask. He laughs and nods. So I do. I write, "This Belongs To Ally Dawson," on his stomach and thighs except in cursive. Well, not on his thighs, more like right above his knees since he has longish trunks on. Anyway, I even draw the arrows.

"Sweet!" Austin exclaims. "Let's go!" He takes my hand and pulls me out of Sonic Boom.

"Go?" I ask. "Go where?"

"To the beach!" he exclaims.

"What?" I ask. "Like this? Why?"

"So the people will know who we belong to!" he exclaims. He smiles and lowers his voice a little to say, "Each other." He pulls me toward the beach.

"Are you sure about this?" I ask as Austin tries to pull me onto the beach.

"Yes," he says, "I'm sure. Come on."

We begin our walk down the beach. Eyes widen and a few people laugh. Mothers cover the eyes of their children. Austin smiles triumphantly. Once our legs start to hurt, Austin and I walk back to Sonic Boom to put on our clothes, then walk to my house. We lie down on my bed. We stay silent for a little while.

He nibbles at my ear and I giggle. "Stop!" I exclaim, hitting his chest playfully. This reminds me of the day this stupid stuff all started. I almost think he's going to have bad news after this little Ally dinner of his is over. I smile nonetheless.

"But you taste so good!" He laughs and rolls over on top of me, pinning me to my bed. "Om, nom, nom!" He bites softly all over my face.

"You're disgusting!" I yell, laughing so hard that I'm crying now. He smiles and gets off of me, lying back down beside me.

"That does belong to me. You know that, right?" he asks me, grinning.

"I know," I say with a giggle as we stare up at the ceiling.

"It'll belong to me permanently after we're married," he says casually. _After we're married..._

"Yeah," I say. I smile.

"Hey, Ally?"

"Yeah, Austin?"

"Can I tell you something really important?" he asks me.

"Of course," I say.

He takes a deep breath. I get ready for bad news but he says, "I love you."

I shake my head, rolling my eyes playfully. "I love you, too," I say, smiling.

"Forever and always?" he asks.

"Forever and always," I confirm.

**Okay, hi. So I have more excuses, as I always do. The first one: Internet was down 'cause I kinda sorta accidentally broke it... Heh... Don't ask. Second excuse: I was working on a book. So I forgot about this. To be honest, for a while, I thought I'd finished it. But then I got a review or PM or something and I was like, "Oh, shiz." So I had to finish this chapter. This is the last one and I'll try to start a new one soon. Anyhoodles, review!**

**LoVe, KeNzIe**


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